Group Calls for Abolition of Harmful Widowhood Practices in Imo

ThankGod EMEH…

A Civil Society Organization, Community Life Project, built on giving voice to all citizens has called for holistic change from unhealthy sociocultural practices holding down families and communities in society, stressing that “Women also have right to be treated well as well the knowledge to perform even better in leadership and management positions”

The Non-Governmental Organization made the call at a one-day sensitization programme organized for Women Leaders in Owerri North Communities of Imo State on Saturday May 24, 2025 where the stakeholders x-rayed the predominant evil cultural practices against women such as isolation and denial of women to their father’s inheritance among other practices in Igboland.

Addressing news men, the Programme Manager of Community Life Project, Celine Osukwu said the programme with the Theme “The role of women leaders in building just and healthy families and communities” was targeted at eliminating Gender Based Violence (GBV) in South Eastern states especially Imo and Enugu states.

Osukwu stressed that the harmful sociocultural issues need to be addressed to ensure healthy families and communities as they called on community leaders and Traditional institutions to address the challenges head-on.

“The community leaders and stakeholders need to come together to determine to address those issues that are prone to causing troubles within the communities and families. There’s need to stop gender based violence in the society and that can be achieved through ensuring healthy families and communities and creating safe space for open communication”

“The issue of women right to inheritance to their father’s property needs wider awareness and sensitization for general acceptance by the people.

“Women should have rights to their father’s property just like their male counterparts. We need to stop the discrimination”.

According to her, harmful traditional sociocultural issues such as keeping widows indoors until their husbands are buried, women not participating financially in the burial of their husbands, denial of husband’s property especially when she does not have a male child, widows being isolated from using things together with other family members, forcing of widow to take oat by community to prove her innocence over their husband’s death, taking women as inferior among other discriminating factors being suffered by women in the communities demand urgent attention across boards.

One of the participants, Osuji Martins Roseline Ebere however decried the marginalization of women both in family and society, noting that equity, aggressive sensitization and implementation of global human rights is the way forward.

She spoke against early marriage, denial of father’s inheritance, education of female and male children to enable them become better children in future and frown against discrimination of the women and girl children.

“We should learn to treat especially women and girl children with dignity and respect. There’s no need to give more preference to the male child. Everyone should be made to perform roles together without reserving roles for one gender as has been the challenge in most communities”

Another participant of the training and Women leader in the community, Dr Roseline Uchegbu said the focus of the programme was timely to change the ugly narratives of women marginalization while assuring that she will take the learning from the training down to other people especially during their August meetings.

The participants were drawn from Umuoba, Umualum, Okwu, Umuorii villages of Obibi Uratta community, Owerri North LGA, Imo State.