GENERAL INTRODUCTION

A widow refers to a woman who has lost her husband and has not remarried, while a widower refers to a man who has lost his wife and has not remarried. Across the world widowhood practices and gender inequality remains the norm and women have continued to encounter discriminatory practices as a result of religious and cultural practices.in some parts of the world, particularly Africa, not excluding  Kom, women are still treated like minors and sometime second class citizens that are only to be seen and to be heard[1]. The concluded the situation is often compounded in many parts of Africa where a patriarchal tradition undermines women’s fundamental rights. Cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, widow cleansing, son preference and others are not only demeaning of women but also perpetuate gender inequality[2]. Due to culture and tradition, women are assigned different roles in society and are confined to the role of child bearing and home making. Also the continued observance of harmful cultural practices has remained threats to women’s health and wellbeing. It is a cause for concern that despite efforts made at the international, regional and national levels to address gender equality, women have continued to face discriminatory practices in almost every facet of human endeavor. This in turn can have serious consequences for women’s empowerment and development. practices remains a the Kom Fondom which is one of the main centralized polities of the Cameroon western grass field stands as the classic case to show case the graphics and the changing and different  configurations of widowhood passion between men and women in Africa.  With an approximate close population of 200000people inhabitance, this Fondom has a growing population with the population of singles and widows growing geometrically. A number of reasons stand to make the Fondom a fitting case for understanding of, not only the dwindling fortunes of patriarchy but also, the contours of widow’s sojourn on the path of widowhood.

Widowhood practices have been deeply ingrained in societies for century, serving as a reflection of cultural traditions, social norms and gender roles. While these practices are often intended to uphold values of respect, remembrance, and community solidarity[3], they have, in many cases led to the violations of human rights, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized widows³. The intersection of widowhood is a critical issue that demands examination and thoughtful analysis. Within the Kom community located in the North West region of Cameron in central Africa, widowhood practices have played a significant role in shaping the lived experiences of widows for generation. The Kom community has witnessed a continuation of traditional widowhood rituals and customs, contributing to complex tapestry of social expectations and gender dynamics. The impacts of these practices on widows’ human rights, including their right to dignity, autonomy, and inequality cannot be understated.

Despite efforts to foster gender equality and human rights advancements globally, widows in Kom community still face systematic challenges and injustices as a result of widowhood practices. Discrimination, economic disparities, property rights violations, and social stigmatization and among the issues that widows confront on daily basis, highlighting the urgent need for a closer examination of cultural, legal, and societal factors that perpetuate these human rights violation. This study seeks to delve into the intricacies of widowhood practices and the violation of human rights in Kom from 1960 to 2015. These practices, analyzing their impact on widow’s rights and exploring the broader socio cultural in which they exist, this research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by widows in Kom. Through an interdisciplinary lens that encompasses legal frame works, cultural studies and human rights perspectives, this study will endeavor to offer a community by amplifying the voices of widows, engaging with community stakeholders, and advocating for policy reforms, this research endeavors to contribute to a more just and equitable society where all individuals, including widows, are able to exercise their rights, live free from discrimination, and participate fully in community life.

According to the universal declaration on human rights all human beings irrespective  of their color, political alienation, race, religion, culture, are supposed to enjoy the full rights as human beings but its rather unfortunate that many parts of the world do not adhere to these. This is the case with most African countries where human rights are grossly violated. Unlike others elsewhere, it’s the case in Cameroon North West region of Cameroon Kom land to be specific where human rights are being abused with the particular case of widowhood practices which universal violates declaration on human rights and freedom

Clarification of terms

Widow/widowhood

A widow is a woman whose husband is death and does not remarry. She can be referred to as a woman who is single because her husband died and she remains unmarried. A woman becomes a widow when the man she had planned the present and the future life is no longer available to share, shape the hopes and dreams of years ahead. She becomes hopeless as she commences a long journey full of uncertainties of life. She is seen as a liability, powerless, voiceless, and vulnerable. Also a widow can be define widow as a melancholy bird that sits wailing all nights, increasing her distress with redeeming features. She can also be seen as a woman who is done with her wedding affirmations of till death do us path. This situation gives birth to widowhood[4]. Hence widowhood can be described as a bye product of every enduring marriage which ends with a spousal (husband) bereavement⁴. Again it states that widowhood involves a physical break in the family relations and is rank by widows as the most stressful and devastating event in life. This is because widowhood does not only involve the loss of the role of the wife to the husband but also the loss of a person most supportive of the woman, the person who have played a central role in the woman’s life, the father of her children, the family breadwinner and the companion of the woman. This transition from wifehood to a widow happens so sudden and swiftly that in one minute a woman who is a wife transit to a widow. It is at this moment she starts to experience all widowhood practices[5].

Widowhood practices

Every society has its own rights for the dead that affect the wife of the dead and the children in some cases. In Komland this phase of life is accompanied by certain socio cultural practices which people  referred to as a set of expectations as to the actions and behaviors by the widow, actions by others towards the widow and rituals performed by  or on behalf of the widow from the time of death of her husband[6]. Later phase of these practices may include issues of inheritance, the state of the widow and marriage or remarriage of the widow. This expressed that widowhood practices can be seen as socio cultural practices encompassing burial rites, mourning rituals, inheritance rights of the widow, her expected behaviors towards others and others people’s behavior towards her  arising from the death of her husband. This practices are culture bound because the reflect the prevailing values of a given socio cultural milieu[7]. People lamented that these practices make widows exhaustive and traumatic and are capable of making the widow loss focus. Thus the widow is frightened, lonely and grieving excessively. In culture, widowhood practices are exclusively preserved for widows, not widowers. It is observe that a widower has no traditional lay down laws governing his mourning rites. This period which is supposed to be a quiet and private time as the widow strives to accept the loss has been turned into a period of agony, anxiety pain and insecurity for widows in Kom land. This is because it is a period the widow is subjected psychological, social, physical and emotional torture as a result of her bereavement[8]

Violation. Violation is an action or behavior that goes against a rule, law or moral principles.

Human rights. Human rights refer to fundamental rights that are inherent to all individuals by virtue of their humanity.

Time frame. The time frame of the topic widowhood practices and violation of human rights from 1960 to 2015 has been marked by significant changes driven by civilzation, modernization, education and political instability. While traditional practices continue to influence widowhood practices and violations of human rights civilization, education has continued to transformed widowhood and violation of human rights in Kom.

Statement of the Problem.

In Kom community of the North West region of Cameroon widowhood practices have traditionally been strict and oppressive resulting in gross violation of human rights for widows. This widowhood practices and the violation of human of rights have let to the following research question

1. What was the widowhood practice that violates human rights?
2. How does this practice affect the widows?
3. What are the consequences of these practices to the widows and the Kom community?

Objectives of the Study.

Widowhood practices and the violation of human rights has been a crucial problem in Kom. Since the post-independence period these research seek to attain the following objectives.

Main objectives

The main objective of this topic is to investigate the widowhood practices in Kom from 1960 to 2015.

Specific objectives

1. To examine the impacts of widowhood practices on the human right of people.
2. To identify factors contributing to the violation of human rights in Kom.
3. To proposed recommendations for addressing human rights violation to widowhood practices in Kom.

Research questions

1. How do traditional widowhood practices in Kom impact the widow’s human rights, particularly in terms of inheritance rights, property ownership and social status?
2. What are the cultural beliefs, traditions, and norms in Kom that influence widowhood practices and contributes to human rights violation against widows?
3. What are the lived experiences of widows in Kom who have faced human rights violations as a result of traditional widowhood practices, and how do these violations impact their wellbeing autonomy?
4. How have local institutions in Kom responded to cases of human rights violation against widows, and what measures have the taken to address these issue?
5. How can advocacy efforts, community engagement, and legal reforms be implemented to protect the rights of widows in Kom and address the underlying causes of human rights violation related to widowhood practices?

[1] Tamale, law reforms and women’s right (2004)

[2] Ssenyonjo, Widowhood and their implication on the women’s fundamental right and freedom. (2007)

[3] Obiageli Blessing, widowhood and harmful traditional practices in south east Nigeria (2011)

[4]  Boulding,  Gender, age and widowhood: How older widows and widowers differently realign their lives (2009)

[5] Oreh, , “Socio- cultural dimensions of widowhood practices among the Igbo”(1998)

[6] Nwoga,  Defines a widowhood practices as a sets of expectation regarding the actions and behavior of widows(1986)

[7] Nwaogugu, Culturally enforced period of ritual cleansing and social control(1989)

[8]  Foener and cozart, the widows handbook: A guide for living, a compressive and sensitive guide addressing emotional and practical challenges faced by widows in the first two years after their loss.(1988)