Women Rights Activists have organized a peaceful protest to denounce a disturbing widowhood tradition that involves forcing widows to drink the water used to wash the deceased’s corpse in the Atani community of Ọgbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State.

The activists gathered in large numbers at the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court in Awka, the state capital.

Holding placards with powerful messages such as “Stop violence against women and girls in Anambra State” and “Ọgbaru men and women, allow our widows some peace,” they aimed to raise awareness and put an end to harmful practices.

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The protest was triggered by a recent incident in Atani where a widow named Mrs. Patricia Eligbue was rescued from her late husband’s relatives who had coerced her into drinking the water used to bathe her husband’s nephew’s corpse.

Miss Hope Okoye, the Chairperson of Violence Against Persons Prohibition in Anambra State, emphasized the need for communities to review and eradicate such archaic customs that harm women and widows.

The activists called on all well-meaning individuals, both within and outside of Ọgbaru and Anambra State, to speak out against ill-treatment of women and widows.

They appealed to the Anambra State Government and the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court to protect women and widows, ensure justice for victims, and hold perpetrators accountable regardless of their social status.