Title: Widows' Law File

Source/Sponsoring Agency: Empowering Widows in Development

URL: http://www.oneworld.org/empoweringwidows/lawfile/index.html

Date Checked:       Status:

Date Annotated: 3/5/01

Topics: Comparative Law; Elder Law; Family Law; Foreign Law; Human Rights Law; International Law; Religion; Women and the Law;

Other keywords: Widows

Contents: Empowering Widows in Development (EWD) is a UK-based non-governmental organization which focuses on the problems of widows in developing countries and war zones, and assists national and international human rights organizations. Customary law, traditional culture, and local religious practices can mean the denial of property rights; child marriage and prohibitions against remarriage result in devastating social and economic consequences for women and children. Moreover, in many countries lacking provisions for pensions or social security, families are now less able to provide for widowed relatives, and women are often unaware of their legal rights and at the mercy of unsympathetic police and courts. The Widows Law File serves as an online newsletter, publicizing issues such as the increase in widows worldwide as a result of war and AIDS, and reporting news of conferences, global developments, and important legal decisions. Unfortunately there is no clear navigation path; for instance material on African countries may be found in several different sections. For best results the user is advised to peruse the entire website.

Author of Annotation: A. Carson