Women are often forced into prostitution by corrupt heads of such ashrams. “Widows are still accused of being responsible for their husband’s death, and they are expected to have a spiritual life with many restrictions which affects them both physically and psychologically.”Ī widow prays in an ashram in Vrindavan. She is also the director of the Chennai-based social work nonprofit organization Guild for Service. “Widowhood is a state of social death, even among the higher castes,” says Mohini Giri, a veteran activist in the fight for women’s rights who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. In this region, they usually arrange for the widow to marry her deceased husband’s brother because being owned by a man is a way to avoid being raped. In the northern Indian state of Punjab, a widow is referred to as randi, which means “prostitute” in Punjabi. They become “de-sexed” creatures.Ĭlearly, it’s more than a problem of language, although that discrimination goes further, with epithets such as “husband eater” used against them. The estimated 40 million women widows in the country go from being called “she” to “it” when they lose their husbands. Violence against women The ongoing tragedy of India’s widows
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