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Widowhood in certain regions of Burkina Faso.


 In certain regions of Burkina Faso the widow is often badly treated by her in-laws. After the death of her husband she is accused of having been a bad wife and the murderess of her husband. Her possessions and children are taken away, and she is thrown out of her house, especially is her late husband had possessions that could be inherited. After being deprived of the inheritance, the children are thrown out and left on their own, living in the street, often turning into thieves and criminals. IN 1989, a man died of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, leaving a wife and 4 young children. A few weeks later the widow was visited by 2 members of her in-laws (considered to be spokesmen), who told her: "in order to protect your children and give them the dignity of their parents, so that you can keep them, and benefit from the possessions of your late husband, you must marry his young brother" (who already had 2 wives and 10 children). The widow refused. A few days later the elder brother-in-law arrived and told the widow: "you do not belong to our family any longer. You must leave within 2 days. You no longer have a right to your children or your husband's belongings." Despite the results given by the doctor, confirming the cause of death, and in-laws accused the poor widow of being the murderess, and of being a bad wife. Her children were taken away from her, and she was thrown out like a stranger. After taking advantage of and wasting all the dead man's belongings, the in-laws left the children on their own. Through the effective intervention of persons from the Women's Union of Burkina in the region, the widow was allowed to take back her children, return to her house and benefit from the other rights due to her and the children. In March 1990, the Code for individuals and the family was adopted by the authorities of Burkina Faso. This code will serve as the basis for resolving the problem of the family in general and of women in particular. For its effective application, a large campaign of sensitization and awareness is necessary through the territory. [Full Text]
