Issues of Single Women (Widows) in Nepal

1. Socio-economic-cultural-religious-caste-marginalization.
2. Negligence of increasing number of single women (widows) and wives of the “missing” due to armed conflict, harmful traditional practices, HIV/AIDs, accidents, natural disasters, etc.
3. Lack of quantitative and qualitative authentic data on widowhood.
4. Single women (widows) are stereotype exclusively as either victims or beneficiaries, and their roles as key resources and social capital in development and peace building are ignored.
5. Increased vulnerability to violence and abuse of all forms against single women (widows) and are not addressed.
6. Single women (widows) are not given right to decision making over their own bodies or in issues of remarriage.
7. Poverty due to:
   1. Homelessness and displacement, “property grabbing” and “chasing off”
   2. Lack of inheritance and property rights
   3. Lack of education, vocational training
   4. Lack of Employment and no job replacement after husband’s death
   5. No/limited access to market
   6. Lack of secured shelter
   7. Discriminatory wages
   8. No collateral to access credit
   9. Limited, restricted or lack of access to services -health, nutrition, housing and social security
8. High risk of withdrawal of children (particularly girl children) of single women (widows) from schools due to the opportunity cost.
9. Few single women (widows) are organized into the single women group. Single women (widows) are often isolated, their voices unheard and they are not recognized as agents of social change.
10. Very few civil society associations, including women’s organizations recognize widowhood as an issue.
11. Lack of community responsibility.
12. The variations of vulnerability among single women (widows).
    1. Economic dependency that increases violence
    2. Migrant, internally and externally displaced, refugees
    3. Aging trend: Increased female life expectancy
       1. Elderly single women (widows) without family support
       2. Lack of allowances from government
    4. Young single women (widows) and their dependants
    5. Child single women (widows) Vyaikalya
    6. Trafficking of single women ( widows) and their families
    7. Sexual harassment in public and private spheres (especially within family and at workplaces)
13. Lack of access to justice and proper legal provisions.