Widows In Anambra Protest Against Abuse

Women in Anambra protest the practice of making widows drink water that has been washed off their deceased husbands.

Some women in Awka, Anambra State, have spoken out against cruel widowhood customs include being made to drink water used to bathe their deceased husband's body before burial.

They organized a peaceful protest against this behavior on May 11, 2023. They urged the cessation and abolition of the custom that required widows to consume the water used to bathe the body of their husband.

Speaking to reporters, the protest's organizer, Mrs. Okoye, pleaded with the government to take notice of the practice and put an end to it in order to safeguard women and girls.

She also urged all local leaders, particularly those in Anambra's Ogbaru Local Government Area, to put an end to the offensive behaviors towards widows.

"We demand that the government ensures that justice is served to perpetrators of unpleasant widowhood practices against the girl child, women and widows, irrespective of their social status," she said in part.