Message by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the International Widows' Day

联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯国际丧偶妇女日致辞

23 June 2021

2021年6月23日

For many widows, losing their husband also means losing identity, land rights, property, income, and possibly their children. Their physical safety is at greater risk, just when they may be suffering serious emotional trauma.

对许多丧偶妇女而言，失去丈夫也意味着失去身份、土地权、财产、收入，或许还失去自己的子女。正当她们可能深陷情感伤痛之时，她们的人身安全也面临更大风险。

Human rights, including the right to inherit and own property, should not be contingent on marital status. Inheritance laws and social safety nets should ensure that widows are protected and secure.

人权，包括继承和拥有财产权，不应取决于婚姻状况。继承法和社会安全网应该确保丧偶妇女获得保护和保障。

The COVID-19 pandemic has both increased the number of widows globally and exacerbated many of the challenges they face, including access to bank accounts and pensions. As governments provide economic and social support in response to the pandemic, they must consider the world's 250 million widows. Even before the pandemic hit, nearly one in ten widows lived in extreme poverty.

2019冠状病毒病大流行增加了全球丧偶妇女的人数，也加剧了她们面临的许多挑战，包括获得银行账户和养恤金。政府在提供经济社会支持应对疫情时，必须考虑世界上2.5亿丧偶妇女。即便在疫情爆发之前，就已经有近十分之一的丧偶妇女生活在极端贫困之中。

Social assistance, including cash transfers and pensions, can help support widows who are often left to take full responsibility for their families. Governments should make special efforts to ensure these measures reach women with low visibility, for example, those without identity cards or bank accounts.

社会援助，包括现金转移和养恤金，可帮助支持常需孤身承担全部家庭责任的丧偶妇女。政府应作出特别努力，确保这些措施惠及默默无闻的妇女，例如没有身份证或银行账户的妇女。

I urge every country, as a critical element of my Call to Action on Human Rights, to pass and implement legislation and policies that promote gender equality, and to repeal all discriminatory laws that perpetuate women's subjugation and exclusion. The persecution and disinheritance of widows, by law and custom, is one of the worst examples of gender discrimination.

我敦促每个国家通过并执行促进性别平等的立法和政策，废除使妇女长期受奴役、受排斥的所有歧视性法律。这是我人权行动呼吁的一个关键因素。以法律和习俗迫害丧偶妇女和剥夺她们的继承权可谓最恶劣的性别歧视事例之一。

On International Widows' Day, let's commit to making sure all widows occupy a respected place in our societies, with access to legal and social protection, so they can live their lives in peace and reach their full potential.

值此国际丧偶妇女日，让我们承诺确保所有丧偶妇女在社会中都有受人尊敬的地位，获得法律和社会保护，使她们能够平安地生活，充分发挥自己的潜力。