What Economic Empowerment Looks Like For Neglected Widows

There are 258 million widows in the world today.

A good majority of them face constant neglect and abuse, where they are stripped of their rights, dignity and identity simply because their husbands have passed. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, the CEO of Rozaria Memorial Trust, said, “Death is not an event but a lifelong experience for a widow,” especially in countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and India as well as many more. Women are seen as property to men and if/when the men that “own” them pass away, the women’s identities die with them. Women are lead to believe that they are socially and economically tied to their husbands, where they cannot possibly fend for themselves. They move from their father’s or brother’s hands to their husband’s and have little idea of their rights as a wife and a woman. As a result, their land, home and children are often taken away from them as a consequence of their husbands death and are left as socially ostracized members of society. 

However, grassroots organizations in affected countries like Nigeria, are looking to specifically empower these women by providing them with economic stability. One NGO in particular looks to cultivate entrepreneurial skills for these women. It allots micro-credits to a group of widowed women so that they may build and run their own enterprise. Not only can this provide these women and their families with sustainable funding but they are also able to raise their status within the community as they are seen as contributors rather than burdens to the larger community.

These initiatives are too small in size and scope, however, where widowhood is a large and affected population. It is not only important to empower women with economic incentives but to also provide them with information, knowledge that they may use to their advantage. Education is as the key to unlocking these disempowered women so that they may feel liberated to refuse these social norms that perpetuate their abuse.

As Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi, manager to the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Program, stated “Let empowerment be a true empowerment, let it be an enablement.” 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/khym54/ . CC BY 2.0

Women Physicians as a Catalyst for Change

“The biggest mistake I have committed is not asking him to leave the room.”

You are a first year resident doctor. A pregnant patient comes in with her husband. She presents with symptoms of an upset stomach and headache. You look at her abdomen and notice bruises all over. You turn to the patient and ask what happened. Before the patient can open her mouth, her husband says she bumped into a table a couple days ago.

What do you do? Do you take his words as the truth or question further? Should you ask the husband to leave the room?

These questions were presented at the session “Roles of Women Physicians in Sustainable Development by Addressing VAW”. Violence against women (VAW) happens all over the world, not specific to any culture, nationality, religion, etc. In many cases of VAW, it is often a physician who has close third-party contact with the victim. Training medical students and physicians to look for signs of abuse and violence is a step towards getting the victim the necessary support she needs.

This panel, sponsored by the Medical Women's International Association and the American Medical Women’s Association African Views, consisted of a panel of 13 women physicians from all over the world. Each spoke on different programs to educate medical students on how to recognize victims of abuse and violence as well as how to handle the situation properly.

In Australia, when a physician identifies a patient as a victim of VAW, a hotline can be used to dispatch security personnel to escort the woman to a safe space as her case is being handled by police. In the United States, efforts are being made to allow physicians to be with the patient, one-on-one, as long as the patient is above 12 years of age.

It is estimated that 1 of 3 women are victims of VAW. Yet, so little is currently done on a national level to address VAW. VAW is as much of a public health issue as H1N1, Ebola, and most recently, the Zika virus. The difference in approach, from allocation of extra funds to mobilization of health professionals, shines a light on how neglectant the government is on women. If similar action plans for the Ebola breakout was enforced for VAW, would there be less women suffering around the world?

With Dr. Teresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, president of AMWA 2015-2016.