Bill seeking to end ‘degrading widowhood practices’ passes second reading at house of reps

A bill seeking to impose stiffer penalties on those who perpetrate any form of “repressive and degrading widowhood practices” has passed second reading at the house of representatives. 

The proposed legislation which seeks to amend the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, is sponsored by Adejoro Adeogun and Sergius Ogun, lawmakers from Ondo and Edo, respectively.

In some cultures, widows are subjected to harassment and sometimes refused access to their deceased husbands’ property.

The bill proposes to amend six sections of the Act to safeguard widows from “violent and evil customary practices, denial of property rights, rape, forced marriages and all other dehumanising acts that undermine the dignity of the widow”.

Section 15 of the current Act stipulates a penalty of not more than two years as punishment for a person who subjects a widow to “harmful widowhood practices”, or a fine not exceeding N500,000 or both.

However, the bill seeks to raise the jail term to seven years without an option of fine.

The bill also introduces two new sections — 38(a) and 38(b) — which reads: “In addition to the rights guaranteed under the constitution or any other international human rights instrument to which Nigeria is a signatory, a widow shall have the right to (a) continue to live in the matrimonial home after the death of her husband and where she remarries, she shall retain the matrimonial home if it belongs to her or she inherited it and shall not be forcefully evicted; (b) Inherit from the property of her late husband or in-laws where the property is jointly owned”.

In addition, the proposed law recommends designating May 23 as a national day for the prevention of discrimination against widows, women, and girls.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) is proposed to administer the provisions of the bill.

The responsibility of the agency will be to ensure the well-being of neglected, abandoned and destitute widows and their dependent children.

Leading the debate on the bill during plenary session on Thursday, Adeogun, the bill’s lead sponsor, said it is the duty of the legislature to correct the wrongs in society through lawmaking.

“Death is inevitable. We have no control over it whatsoever. However, in several parts of Nigeria, widows are made to pay heavy penalties for the painful departure of husbands that they loved and shared their lives with,” he said.

“They are stigmatised, denied access to properties and in some cases denied access to their own children for reasons that have no place under any Nigerian law.

“Widowhood is not by choice. Widows are victims of the inevitability of death. So why does our society criminalise the unfortunate incident of widowhood? Why are widows denied the right to mourn in peace? Why is the trauma of their loss met with more trauma rather than solace?

“I believe that we have a duty to right this wrong. These are our mothers, sisters, aunties, friends, colleagues and they deserve our protection.

“This bill, when passed, would be recorded in history as one of the most important legislation passed by this ninth assembly. We would have succeeded in metaphorically giving to the widows in our nation what could be described as the widows’ mite.”