On 19 June 2019, the House of Lords is scheduled to debate a motion moved by Lord Loomba (Crossbench) that asks “Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to empower widows in developing countries and to mark International Widows Day 2019.”. This briefing provides background information on International Widows’ Day and the issues facing widowed women around the world.
International Widows’ Day (217 KB , PDF)
International Widows’ Day takes place on 23 June each year. A resolution to mark this day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010. The aim of International Widows’ Day is to address the issues faced by widowed women. These include the increased risk of poverty and violence and a lack of access to health care. The UN has stated:
The abuse of widows and their children constitutes one of the most serious violations of human rights and obstacles to development today. Millions of the world’s widows endure extreme poverty, ostracism, violence, homelessness, ill health and discrimination in law and custom.
The UN has also noted these issues are more widespread when there is an increase in the number of widows following armed conflict.
International Widows’ Day (217 KB , PDF)
The European Convention on Human Rights was signed by the members of the Council of Europe, including the UK, in Rome in 1950. The UK was one of the first states to ratify it in 1951 and it is now incorporated into UK law through the Human Rights Act 1998. The UK government has recently restated its unequivocal commitment to the convention.
The government introduced the Finance Bill in the House of Lords on 4 March 2025. The House is scheduled to debate the bill at second reading and all remaining stages on 19 March 2025.
The crown court backlog reached a record high of 73,105 cases in September 2024. The impact on victims, witnesses and defendants has been significant as they wait longer for their cases to be resolved. The government commissioned an independent review of criminal courts that will produce reform recommendations to address crown court pressures. Whilst stakeholders have welcomed the review, some have called for more immediate action to reduce the backlog.
