International Widows Day: NAWOJ Demands Legal Protection, Economic Empowerment for Widows
By Chizoba Njaka
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), has joined the global community to mark International Widows Day 2026, using the occasion to amplify widows’ voices and demand urgent action to protect their rights and dignity across Nigeria.
In a press release issued on June 24 by NAWOJ National Secretary, Comrade Wasilah I. Ladan, the association highlighted the severe challenges widows face. These include property grabbing, denial of inheritance, stigma, poverty, and psychological trauma, which leave many vulnerable when they most need support.
NAWOJ National Chairperson, Hajia Aisha Ibrahim, said International Widows Day reminds society that widows are not invisible. She described them as mothers, entrepreneurs, community builders, and survivors who deserve respect, not pity.
“As journalists, we have a duty to change the narrative from pity to power, resilience, and inclusion,” Hajia Ibrahim stated. She called on governments, traditional institutions, and civil society to enact and enforce laws that safeguard widows’ rights to inheritance, property, and participation.
The NAWOJ chairperson also urged an end to all harmful traditional practices that degrade and impoverish widows during mourning and beyond.
On legal protection, NAWOJ emphasized the full implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act and state-level laws that protect widows from disinheritance, abuse, and harmful widowhood rites.
For economic empowerment, the association recommended targeted skills training, access to grants, soft loans, and entrepreneurship support to help widows achieve financial independence.
NAWOJ further stressed the need for social inclusion through community and media sensitization campaigns to challenge stigmatization, plus access to psychosocial support and counseling for grief and trauma. The association also called on government to generate accurate data on widows to inform inclusive policies.
“As the voice of women in media, NAWOJ pledges ethical reportage that centers widows’ stories, exposes abuses, and promotes policies that restore dignity. This International Widows Day, let us build a society where no woman is punished twice first by loss, then by injustice,” the statement concluded.