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Youth convention on woes of widows held
Discrimination against widows would amount to violation of human rights, said the speakers at state level youth convention on ‘Youth role in liberation of widows’ held at Hanamkonda on Saturday.
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Warangal: Discrimination against widows would amount to violation of human rights, said the speakers at state level youth convention on ‘Youth role in liberation of widows’ held at Hanamkonda on Saturday.
The convention was organised by Kazipet based Bala Vikasa Social Service Society. About 3,500 college going students from different parts of the State attended the convention presided over by the society founder Bala Theresa Gingras.
Addressing the gathering, she asked students to fight against the prejudice displayed towards widows and make efforts for their development. She expressed serious concern over the flawed tradition of treating widows as inauspicious. Instead of offering moral support to the women who lost their husbands, they were being marginalised.
The youth should question the practice of prohibiting widows using cosmetics, wearing bangles, rings, flowers and jewellery besides forcing them into seclusion. ‘Widowhood is not a curse,’ Bala Theresa said while adding that widows should be respected like other women.
Bala Vikasa executive director S Showry Reddy said that in a survey conducted by his organisation it was found that 29 per cent widows were committing suicides unable to face the social discrimination.“Stigmatising a widow is nothing but violation of human rights,” he asserted while appealing the youth to make use of social media like twitter and facebook to fight against the injustice being meted out to women who lost their husbands.
About 15,000 widows across the State were being supported by Bala Vikasa engaging them in creative and constructive work, he said. A few women like Gangamma, Shanta, Nirmala and others shared their sad experiences after losing their husbands and explained how they overcome such plight and rebuild their families with the help of Bala Vikasa.
Several students who shared their views said that child marriages were a cause of concern as many girls were becoming widows at young age if their husbands died. Strict measures were needed to stop child marriages, they added.
Society president B Mareddy, board members Indra Reddy and Prakash Reddy, Jana Vikasa president S Lourthu Mareddy, retired chief engineer Subba Reddy, society field coordinators and workers were present.
