02/08/2025
Certain traditions are deeply harmful and violate the dignity and rights of women. One such practice is the belief that a widow must bathe in her deceased husband’s ashes, drink the water used for this act and later be inherited as a wife by her late husband’s elder brother. This practice is not only inhumane but also outdated, and it must be strongly condemned and abolished because it goes against the fundamental rights of women and exposes them to unnecessary harm.
Forcing a widow to undergo such degrading rituals strips her of her humanity and subjects her to emotional, psychological and physical trauma. Bathing in or drinking water used for ashes can also lead to serious health risks, including infections and other life-threatening illnesses. No tradition that endangers the lives and wellbeing of people, especially vulnerable widows, should be upheld in the name of culture.
This practice is discriminatory because it targets only women, treating them as property that can be inherited or transferred. It perpetuates gender inequality and reinforces the false idea that a woman’s value lies only in her relationship to men. It also disregards the widow’s grief and her right to personal choice. Losing a spouse is an emotionally devastating experience, and forcing a widow into humiliating rituals or remarriage against her will only deepens her pain and denies her the space to grieve and rebuild her life with dignity.
Culture should be a source of pride, a means of preserving identity and promoting unity, not an excuse to inflict pain and injustice. Any cultural practice that violates human rights, especially women’s rights, must be questioned and reformed. Communities must focus on compassion and the protection of their members, rather than maintaining harmful customs. Women are not property to be inherited, nor should they ever be forced into dehumanising acts in the name of tradition. Respect for widows, their choices and their dignity must be the standard in every
