The Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Marie-Therese Abena Ondoa, has criticised non-legalized unions among couples, highlighting that these contribute significantly to the challenges widows face today.
“Another issue I would like to raise is the problem of ‘come we stay’. Many of the problems we have arise from situations where a young man sees a beautiful girl, says ‘I love you,’ and she says ‘I love you too.’ They start having children but don’t think of legalizing the union.
“When the husband dies, there is no legal union between the two, so she cannot claim anything. If the children have birth certificates, they can be entitled to something, but if a woman does not have a court certificate, she is not allowed to benefit from anything,” said the Minister.
She made these remarks on CRTV’s Sunday flagship program, “Cameroon Calling”.
The Minister noted that Cameroon joined the rest of the world in commemorating the 14th edition of International Widows’ Day on June 23.
She used the occasion to urge couples to legalise their unions to protect widows’ rights after their husbands’ deaths.
“We encourage all those who fall in love and are old enough to marry to obtain a legal document that will make it possible for the widow to claim her rights because it is extremely important,” she emphasised.
Marie-Therese Abena Ondoa stated that her ministry has encountered cases where widows are left completely destitute following their husbands’ deaths.
She encouraged widows to apply for funding for income-generating activities and urged various widows’ associations to seek legal recognition to receive state support.
“We do provide financial assistance to those groups, and those that are well-structured with a legalized association can benefit from the convention. We have a small allocation for financing income-generating activities. We also encourage them to seek support from other ministries if they have legal existence,” she said.
The International Widows’ Day, initiated in 2011, aims to highlight the plights of widows and raise awareness about the challenges they face.
This year, it is being celebrated under the theme, “Accelerating the Achievement of Gender Equality.”
