Yep, I'm still here. Is anybody else? I hope and expect you are all with your families having some well earned rest and recuperation... If you get the chance to look in on Reasons to be Hopeful, then I hope you enjoy today's little bit of positivity.
It seems that the Indian government may be on the path to addressing one of the nation's most deprived groups - its 33 million widows. At the weekend, Renuka Chowdhury, the Minister for Women and Child Development, announced her intent to forge the way for widows to remarry if they wish and to provide training to help them find work. This is a very promising development. If the Minister's plans are enacted, they could help break down some of the stigma attached to widowhood - currently, Hindu custom forbids widows from remarrying and they may be ostracised by friends and family. Many must beg to survive. The plans are not yet law of course, and any change in societal attitudes will take many years. But, if the government follows through on these recent promises, many Indian women may find some hope where before they had none.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Day Seventy-Four: promise for India's widows
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2 comments:
I'm still here (although I've been offline for the last week, and missing RtbH!). Too much of the altruism of Christmas gets lost in hangovers and packed away with the tinsel - not really a proper substitute for Reasons to be Hopeful!
This is great news for the widows of India - let's hope they get a better lot in life (after their husbands' deaths). The current social system seems to be truly appauling towards them, compounding grief with misery.
Hi Diana
Glad you are still around. It's a lot quieter around here, that's for sure!
I am glad you liked the news story about India's widows. It's one I'm going to try and watch, as it's really important that the government follows through and provides greater support - as you say, women who have lost their husbands have already suffered enough, and it's tragic that so many of them then find themselves destitute. Let's hope the support system improves.
E
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