Case Study

WHAT IS SANWED?

SANWED is a new initiative in the South Asian region to uphold widows’ human rights in all aspects of their lives; reduce poverty and marginalisation and eliminate all forms of socio-cultural, religious, legal, political and economic discrimination. The establishment of SANWED in South Asia will encourage consortiums of widows’ groups to be set up in the other regions of the world where widows face similar problems.

Mission

To enable widows to become collective AGENTS OF CHANGE in the South Asian region by bringing together the National Chapters of SANWED under one umbrella.

Vision

The vision of SANWED is a world in which all widows enjoy their full human rights and live with dignity.

Goal

The goal of SANWED is that in each country, a national association of widows’ groups should be established, with branches or member associations in every city, town, village, refugee or IDP camp so that widows’ know and can obtain their rights, can access training and employment, and participate in decision-making at every level.

BACKGROUND

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of widows in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East over the last decade. This unprecedented rise in numbers has been caused by the proliferation of armed conflict, ethnic cleansing, the scourge of AIDS and the persistence in some regions of harmful traditional practices. In conflict affected countries it is estimated that half of all women maybe widows.

These women are destined to spend the rest of their lives in poverty and vulnerable to abuse. They are of all ages, and are to be found among the poorest of the poor, often invisible, their voices unheard and their needs, both immediate and long-term unmet, unless governments demonstrate a commitment to right the wrongs inflicted on them. Many obstacles exist to their accessing the justice system. Widows have a desperate need for education, training and employment to adequate housing, health-care, nutrition and education for their children as well as access to personal security and protection from abuse.

International Action and Framework

June 23rd was proclaimed INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS’ DAY by Cherie Blair (the wife of the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair) earlier this year. This annual date provides a challenge for all of us to celebrate the lives of widows and to work towards their full emancipation from poverty, fear, isolation and violence.

SANWED Secretariat:

WHR has been unanimously elected the SANWED secretariat. Its main functions are to:

  • Develop guidelines to collect information on the status of widows and collate data for wider dissemination.
  • Share “best practices” for the promotion and improvement of the status of widows and their dependents
  • Form network with widows’ empowerment groups in other regions to prioritize issues of widowhood, in context of promoting human rights, justice and peace, in national, regional and international agenda.
  • Coordinate with National Chapters to lobby their respective governments to adopt and implement the Charter for the Rights of Widows, presented at the 49th Session of the UN CSW in March 2005.
  • Sensitize South Asian governments and the international community about the key role of widows as valuable “social capital” in peace, development and equality.
  • Disseminate information related to the status of widows to national, regional and international organizations.
  • Identify national, regional and international focal points.
  • Capacity Building of National Chapters to develop a common understanding of strategies to overcome obstacles, meet challenges and provide guidelines to implement the National Action Plans.