June 23 is observed as International Widows Day every year. The day is sponsored by United Nations. It is observed to address the "poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries". The UN resolution called upon "Member States, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, to give special attention to the situation of widows and their children."
Establishment of the day
The Loomba Foundation established the day to raise awareness about the issue of widowhood. As it was on this day in 1954 that Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, mother of Lord Loomba, became a widow. The first International Widows Day took place in 2005 and was launched by Lord Loomba and Cherie Blair, the foundation’s president.
Need to celebrate the day
According to the United Nations, "Despite the fact that there are more than 258 million widows around the world, widows have historically been left unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured in our societies."
United Nations mentioned on the Widows Day page, International Widows Day presents an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows. It also talks about providing widows with information on access to a fair share of their inheritance, land, and productive resources; pensions and social protection that are not based on marital status alone, decent work and equal pay.