Child Widows?

Sadly, due to a bloody civil war that lasted for 10 years, resulting in 13,000 deaths, there is a large number of widows and fatherless children in Nepal. These women are in most cases young – 70 percent of them are under the age of 30 – and have young children to rear by themselves.

Nepalese widows suffer so much more than grief. They lose both their husbands and their status. Often, their hair gets cut off, bangles removed and even nose jewels pried out. They are stripped of their colorful saris and made to wear white, the color of mourning. Many are not allowed to eat meat. They don't inherit their husbands' property, which goes to their children or reverts to their husband's family. And when family members get married the widows can't attend the weddings, as they are thought to bring bad luck to the marriage. They are often known as single women because the term "widow" is thought to be too horrible to utter.

The sole supporters of their children in a society where traditionally men are the breadwinners, most of the widows are young women who are typically illiterate and without the skills and the resources to generate an income. Their poverty, along with their lack of property rights, make them -- and often, their daughters -- vulnerable to violence from their male relatives, especially in-laws. In addition, they are in danger of women trafficking, and sexual abuse.