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War widows: Constant struggle for survival
View(s):With children to care for and no family support life is as bleak as it is hostile
By Aanya Wipulasena
Thirty-four-year-old Idayaraj Shaila knows how hard life within a conservative society is, for a widow. She lost her husband at 19, another victim among thousands of others caught up in the ‘civil war’ that gripped the country for nearly 30 years and left many women widowed, mainly in the north and east of the country. However, instead of wallowing in her grief, Shaila has chosen to help other women in similar situations by working at the Tharaka Centre for Widows in Sudumalai, Jaffna.
“Most widows are not invited to religious or cultural assemblies, because widows are believed to be a bad omen. This taboo has also resulted in widows being unable to find employment. It is a double tragedy, because almost all of them are educated. They are deprived of their rights, just because they are widows,” she said.
According to the Intellectuals for Human Rights organisation, there are around 26,700 war widows in the North and East, but less than 10% of them have received assistance from the government or other organisations.
Shaila says that all these women need psychological assistance, as well as employment, because even though they are educated, scarcity of jobs is a major obstacle to them.
Health Ministry Psychiatrist Dr. Mahesh Ganesan said that, being a widow is a traumatic experience, and these women need proper psychological help to get out of the trauma and adjust to everyday life. “Unfortunately, we don’t find any specific counselling services in the North and East,” he said.
He said that, in cases where the husbands have gone missing and are still unaccounted for, the women live in the hope their husband’s will return, which makes it harder for them to move on.
Shreen Saroor of the Women’s Action Network where about 11 women’s groups gather to work for the widows’ welfare, said that, the basic needs of these women remain unaddressed.
“Most of these women were widowed in their early twenties and left with young children,” she said.
Another issue faced by these single women is the heavy military presence in their villages, which has become a hindrance to them.
The Government initiated a programme to fund single women to start a micro business with Rs 35,000 per widow, which, though enough to start a business, wasn’t enough to sustain it.
Mannar Women’s Development Federation Coordinator Maha Lakshmi said that women battle against numerous odds to keep their businesses going, because it takes time for them to actually profit from it. “A chicken farm requires a lot of money and time. Most women are in debt to fund the business, and now they are struggling to repay the loan,” she said.
At the same time, the women also have to look after their children. “This is a very real problem for the women, as they have to leave their children at home to go about their work. They live in constant fear that their children left unattended, will get into some danger or get abused by a stranger,” she said.
She explained that it is the men who decide which woman is eligible for housing, jobs and other welfare activities, which too is a problem.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Child Development said it has initiated several programmes for the uplift of these women and more such programmes would follow in the New Year.
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