KATHMANDU: The fifth International Widows’ Day was observed on Tuesday with the theme ‘White is Peace Leading towards Power’.

Women for Human Rights, single women group, a non-government organisation working for single women, on Tuesday organised various programmes in different parts of the city to commemorate the day.

WHR expressed the hardship of widowhood through flash mob with the help of their volunteers in Jawalakhel, Tundikhel and Narayan Chaur.

Similarly, a photo exhibition portraying the efforts of WHR in the aftermath of the earthquake was organised in different places to spread awareness among the locals.

Fast facts

•    In Nepal, there are more than 50,000 directly affected single women (widow) and female household heads who are facing low rates of land and home ownership (WHR)

•     There are now over 258 million widows around the world, who between them have 585 million children

•    Over 100 million widows live in extreme poverty struggling to survive

•    1.5 million children belonging to widows die before their fifth birthday

•    Widows have been targeted victims of rape, torture and murder. Others are forced into prostitution, remarriage

— Source: The Loomba Foundation

A musical performance was also organised in the evening to celebrate the day. Hundreds of widows and other people participated in the celebration programmes.

According to WHR, the situation of single women (widows) and female headed households have become worst in the aftermath of the April 25 earthquake.

It said that there are more than 50,000 directly affected single women (widow) and female household heads who are facing low rates of land and home ownership.

Similarly, access to the relief goods and services are inaccessible to them in the aftermath of quakes as they do not have male members in their family, WHR said adding, single women living separately are usually living in lower substandard housing units and in lower income.