>GreenC bot at 15:59, 16 April 2021

2021-04-16T15:59:48Z

New page

{{COI|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}

'''International Widows Day''' is a [[United Nations]] ratified [[list of minor secular observances#June|day of action]] to address the "poverty and injustice faced by millions of [[widow]]s and their [[Dependant|dependent]]s in many countries".<ref>[http://www.theloombafoundation.org/index.php?q=international-widows-day International Widows Day profile], theloombafoundation.org; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref> The day takes place annually on 23 June.

International Widows Day was established by [[The Loomba Foundation]]{{Clarify|date=June 2015}} to [[raising awareness|raise awareness]] of the issue of widowhood. The significance of 23 June is that it was on that day in 1954 that Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, mother of the foundation's founder, [[Raj Loomba, Baron Loomba|Lord Loomba]], became a widow.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4580323.stm Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba profile], bbc.co.uk; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref> One of the foundation’s key goals is to highlight what it describes as an invisible calamity. A 2010 book, ''Invisible, Forgotten Sufferers: The Plight of Widows Around the World'', estimates that there are 245 million widows worldwide, 115 million of whom live in poverty and suffer from [[social stigma|social stigmatization]] and economic deprivation purely because they have lost their husbands.<ref>[http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_study-report-on-condition-of-widows-presented-to-pratibha-patil_1414905 ''Invisible, Forgotten Sufferers: The Plight of Widows Around the World'' infp], dnaindia.com; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref> As part of the Loomba Foundation’s awareness campaign, this study was presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 22 June 2010.<ref>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/115-mn-widows-live-in-poverty-Loomba-Foundation-study/Article1-565694.aspx 115 million widows live in poverty - Loomba Foundation], hindustantimes.com; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref>

The first International Widows Day took place in 2005 and was launched by Lord Loomba and the foundation's president, [[Cherie Blair]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4580323.stm first International Widows Day (2005)], bbc.co.uk; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref> By the sixth International Widows Day in 2010, events were held in [[Rwanda]], [[Sri Lanka]], the United States, the UK, [[Nepal]], [[Syria]], [[Kenya]], India, [[Bangladesh]] and [[South Africa]].<ref>[http://www.theloombafoundation.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2698234.pdf Loomba Foundation website], theloombafoundation.org; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref>

==United Nations recognition==
On 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted 23 June as International Widows Day, endorsing by unanimous acclaim a proposal introduced by President [[Ali Bongo Ondimba]] of [[Gabon]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120516165850/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-22/us/28267440_1_international-widows-day-raj-loomba-resolution UN General Assembly adoption of International Widows Day], articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref> As well as formally recognizing 23 June as a day of observance, the accompanying resolution called upon "Member States, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations to give special attention to the situation of widows and their children."<ref>[https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/ga11041.doc.htm UN General Assembly adoption of International Widows Day], un.org; accessed 31 May 2015.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:United Nations days]]
[[Category:June observances]]
[[Category:Widowhood]]

International Widows Day - Revision history

>GreenC bot at 15:59, 16 April 2021