NHRC issues advisory to states on welfare of widows

New Delhi: Government should make a law that punishes family members who force widows to fend for themselves after benefitting from her property and take steps to link those who want to remarry or find partners with appropriate NGOs or agencies, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) advisory has said.

The NHRC wants the government to protect rights of widows on their matrimonial houses and enforce in practice to ensure that she is not ousted from her property. Legal aid should be provided to them to secure uninterrupted living in their homes, it said.

These are part of an 'Advisory on the Protection of Human Rights of the Widows' that were sent to states on Tuesday in which the NHRC said isolation coupled with lack of education, financial resources and absence of family support often compromises their ability to live with dignity.

While the number of widows across the world is estimated to be around 25.8 crore, the 2011 Census pegs the number of widowed people in India at 5.6 crore, of which 78 per cent are women.

"In the case of India, women who lose their husbands, apart from having to face the emotional distress of losing a spouse, are also faced with numerous challenges including, but not limited to social exclusion, loss of income, and often even loss of residence," it said.

The advisory asks the government to ensure equal access to property, prevention of ousting from their homes and protection from exploitation and make laws to protect widows' interests. While widows have the right to succession of property, it said, its implementation needs to be legally protected and ensured by providing legal aid.

"Forcing widows to fend for themselves should be discouraged by making it punishable by law, which may be applicable to her children, family members, and others benefitting from her property," it said.

Adequate shelter homes should be provided to widows who are thrown out of their home or those who have no other options. Special drives should be held for the legal education of widows to make them aware that they have an equal right to live with human dignity and enjoy property rights.

Widows should be helped to avail various government schemes and steps should be taken to link their mobile phones with Aadhaar so that they could get access to government funds. It should also be ensured that widows' bank accounts are operated by them only.

Educated widows should be helped to get suitable jobs and they should refrain from doing menial jobs. To help them use mobile banking facilities, the advisory said, widows should be trained in financial literacy.