UN chief calls for further efforts to make widows more visible in societies

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called on the international community to make more efforts to make widows, old and young, more visible in the society as they are often stigmatized by their families and communities.

In his message to mark the International Widows' Day, which falls on June 23, the secretary-general said, "Many suffer discrimination based on age and gender. Some have lived lives marked by physical and sexual abuse."

There are some 259 million widows around the world, and nearly half are living in poverty, Ban noted.

"Let us pledge to make widows more visible in our societies, and to support them in living productive, equal and fulfilling lives," he said.

"Older widows often have few economic assets, after a lifetime of hard but unpaid work," he said. "Even in developed countries, the value of women's pensions can be some 40 percent lower than men's."

"Younger widows face other challenges, as heads of households with childcare responsibilities and very limited economic opportunities," he said.

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda with its pledge to leave no one behind has a particular resonance for widows, who are among the most marginalized and isolated, he said.

International Widows' Day is a UN-ratified day of action to address the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries.

On Dec. 21, 2010, the UN General Assembly formally designated June 23 as International Widows' Day to raise awareness of the issue of widowhood. Enditem