International Widows Day 2021: "Invisible Women, Invisible Problems"

International Widows Day 2021: Millions of widows across the world battle four critical issues of poverty, violence, health and conflict-related situations.

Today is International Widows Day. It is a United Nations designated day aimed at showing solidarity with women who have lost their partners. "Human rights are for everyone and not contingent on marital status. For many widows, losing their husband also means losing rights, income, and possibly their children. On International Widows Day, let's commit to providing widows with access to legal and social protections," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in his message on Tuesday. In a bid to empower women and safeguard the rights of widows, the UN General Assembly, on December 21, 2010, adopted a resolution and declared June 23 as International Widows Day. Millions of widows across the world battle four critical issues of poverty, violence, health and conflict-related situations. According to the UN , "Despite the fact that there are more than 258 million widows around the world, widows have historically been left unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured in our societies." The COVID-19 pandemic have been particularly devastating for many women who have lost their partners and are struggling to take care of children and even elderly parents. According to experts, the social and economic issues faced by widows must be brought to the forefront and their voices heard.