NFF Seeks End to Maltreatment of Widows

By Tobi Soniyi

As the world commemorates the International Day of Widows, a group, the Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF), has called for the abolition of all forms of obnoxious widowhood practices against women and girls.

The NFF made the call in a statement signed by its Communications Officer, Angela Nkwo, and made available to journalists.

The feminist group decried the inhuman treatment of confinement, torture, and endless rituals, including forcing women to drink the bath water used in washing the corpse, saying they are degrading and inhuman.

They called on every community to immediately abolish all forms of widowhood practices, and stop the forceful collection of property by the husband’s relatives.

Furthermore, NFF called on the Nigerian Government to enforce the Violence against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act to protect people against all forms of violence, including harmful widowhood practices.

It appealed to state governments to support widows and protect them from losing their husban property to husband’s relatives.

NFF also called for an end to insurgency in the country to stem the rising number of women becoming widows.

The women group also urged the government to improve the health system across the country to provide quality healthcare to reduce the number of death in the country.

The feminist group in the statement also advocated for quick measures to check the rate of inflation to ensure that widows could afford a measure of lifestyle.

According to NFF, “Upon announcement of the death of a husband, wives are immediately tagged murderers, even as one wonders how the death of a husband (which ordinarily exposes a woman to discrimination) benefits her as one is sometimes subjected to a life of lack,” saying it is wrong and condemnable.

NFF argued that despite the strong religious bias of Nigerians, “widows, especially in the South-east states, are still subjected to inhuman practices, and we condemn this in its entirety.”

It, therefore, queried why a widower is not subjected to any form of widowhood practice anywhere in Nigeria, “even when it is a proven case of gender-based violence.”