The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for WR-LAW-1

July 10, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Maldives
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"Both spouses are allowed to remarry." (35).
Jan. 6, 2022, 12:09 p.m.
Countries: Somalia
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"There are no specific laws regarding widow remarriage. A widow is free to remarry whoever after a certain time (4 months and 10 days) according to Islamic and Somali custom" (1).
Aug. 3, 2021, 12:21 p.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"Flora Alatan, Delta State Commissioner for Women Affairs, told CNN her department is working with the justice ministry to adopt the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP), a federal legislation with a provision that directly punishes the ill-treatment of widows. The 'Harmful Widowhood Practices' in the VAPP Act says people can be jailed for a maximum of two years or pay a fine of N500,000 (around $1,366) for abusing women whose husbands have died. Nigeria signed the VAPP Act in 2015, but a majority of the West African nation's 36 states are yet to adopt it and, consequently, the law can't be enforced in those states" (para 26-28). "In 2005,...more
Dec. 31, 2020, 4:53 p.m.
Countries: India
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"A half-widow, till her husband is declared dead, is also forbidden under customary laws from remarrying. State law dictated that a woman has to wait for seven years after the disappearance of her husband to remarry. However, opinions vary due to different interpretations of Sharia law – while the Hanafi school claims 90 years after the husband’s disappearance, Maliki school scholars put the waiting period as four years and some as seven years" (para 8-9)
May 29, 2020, 12:04 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"Only if your husband is part of the army. I'm not sure about the police but I assume also the police, if they were killed while they were working. But nothing about people who get killed in suicide attacks or illnesses" (para 13). This statement refers to the avalibility of government assistance for widows (MM-CODER COMMENT).
May 21, 2020, 8:43 p.m.
Countries: Guatemala
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"Article 6 of Decree No. 27-2010 abolished article 229 of Decree No. 17-73 of the Congress of the Republic (Criminal Code), according to which a widow or divorced woman was unable to remarry for a period of time set forth in the Civil Code. No such provision applied to the widower or divorced man, which constituted discrimination against women" (41).
Jan. 28, 2020, 10:05 p.m.
Countries: Malawi
Variables: WR-LAW-1, IAW-LAW-1, IAD-LAW-1, POLY-LAW-1, POLY-LAW-2

"17. – (1) Upon intestacy the persons entitled to inherit the intestate property shall be the members of the immediate family and dependants of the intestate and their shares shall be ascertained upon the following principles of fair distribution -(a)protection shall be provided for members of the immediate family and dependants from hardship so far as the property available for distribution can provide such protection;(b) every spouse of the intestate shall be entitled to retain all the household belongings which belong to his or her household; (c) if any property shall remain after paragraphs (a) and (b) have been complied with, the remaining property shall be divided between the surviving...more
May 4, 2019, 2:36 p.m.
Countries: Panama
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"In April the National Assembly passed a law regulating sexual content in classified advertisements of newspapers, forbidding the publication of sex-work advertisements, in an effort to prevent sex trafficking. Some critics viewed it as a form of censorship" (p. 8)..
April 11, 2019, 11:47 p.m.
Countries: Cote D'Ivoire
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"The revision of the criminal code to include the prohibition of levirate and sororate, as well as discriminatory practices, is still under way. However, the courts, when involved, find in favour of women" (35).
Jan. 5, 2019, 5:21 p.m.
Countries: Mexico
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"[In] Mexico –Women are no longer prohibited from remarrying for a specified time after divorce or widowhood" (para 19).
Sept. 26, 2018, 10:41 a.m.
Countries: Eritrea
Variables: WR-PRACTICE-1, WR-LAW-1

"According to the 'period of widowhood' principle a woman is not allowed to remarry unless three hundred and six days have elapsed since the dissoluion of a previous marriage by death of her husband. However, if a woman does so, such a marriage cannot be invalidated on this ground alone" (4).
Sept. 5, 2018, 10:07 a.m.
Countries: Japan
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"NGOs urged the government to abolish a six-month waiting period stipulated in the law for women, but not men, before re-marriage...In December, Japan’s Supreme Court ruled the six-month waiting period was unconstitutional" (15). This law is for all women, not just widows. And while it was ruled unconstitutional, there is no indication that it was actually abolished (AA CODER COMMENT).
Sept. 5, 2018, 10:06 a.m.
Countries: Japan
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"NGOs urged the government to abolish a six-month waiting period stipulated in the law for women, but not men, before re-marriage...In December, Japan’s Supreme Court ruled the six-month waiting period was unconstitutional" (15). This law is for all women, not just widows. And while it was ruled unconstitutional, there is no indication that it was actually abolished (AA CODER COMMENT).
Aug. 29, 2018, 2:33 p.m.
Countries: Egypt
Variables: WR-LAW-1, CUST-LAW-1

"For years, divorced women called for amending the personal status laws, especially articles related to custody, to allow them to keep custody of their children after their second marriage" (Para 1). "we find that women are afraid to experience a second marriage becuase the law recognizes the automatic transfer of custody to the next in line of the custody arrangment. Such a law makes the desire of women to experience a remarrying a risk that may lead her to lose the custody of children or circumvent the reality by accepting customary, non-documented marriage so as not to lose the custody, or resort to other ways in which to live that...more
Aug. 28, 2018, 10:03 a.m.
Countries: Mali
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"The Committee is deeply concerned that the progressive provisions on women’s rights included in the preliminary draft of the revised Personal and Family Code were lost during the second reading in the National Assembly as a result of pressure from conservative and religious groups, resulting in the 2011 Code, which contains many discriminatory provisions, including: . . . and the requirement for a waiting period for divorced women (art. 366) and widows (art. 373) to remarry. The Committee is further concerned that levirate is not prohibited" (page 13).
Aug. 20, 2018, 11:08 a.m.
Countries: Philippines
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"The Committee welcomes the adoption of Republic Act No. 10655, which decriminalizes 'premature marriage', namely, the remarriage of a woman during a certain period following the death of her husband or the dissolution of the marriage" (page 14).
July 6, 2018, 6:49 p.m.
Countries: Uruguay
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"The prohibition in the Civil Code on a widow’s or divorcee’s remarrying within 300 days of the date of her husband’s death or the date of her divorce has not been amended" (page 37).
April 4, 2018, 9:59 a.m.
Countries: East Timor
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"That article 1494 of the Civil Code stipulates that a man can remarry 180 days after divorce or the death of a spouse, while a woman who is divorced or widowed has to wait 300 days" (14).
March 9, 2018, 8:49 a.m.
Countries: Saudi Arabia
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"If her husband dies, the law grants her leave for the Iddah (legally prescribed waiting period during which a woman may not remarry after being widowed) of four months and 10 days from the date of death" (39).
Oct. 26, 2017, 11:51 a.m.
Countries: Nepal
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"In 2008, in recognition of the large number of war widows and popular aversion to widow remarriage, the government put forward a scheme to pay men a 50,000 rupee ($460) incentive to marry widows.But widows protested, saying the proposal was open to abuse by traffickers and would turn them into commodities. Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to ditch the initiative"(para 22-23)."[Lily] Thapa says several discriminatory laws and policies have been amended in recent years. For example, a widow who remarries no longer needs to return her deceased husband’s property"(para 27)
Aug. 30, 2016, 10:58 a.m.
Countries: Mali
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"Article 373. A widow shall not remarry before a period of four months and ten days after the death of her husband. A pregnant widow can only remarry after childbirth. If the birth occurs during this time, it is no longer required to complete the period prescribed in the previous paragraph" (para 5-6)
June 7, 2016, 8:39 a.m.
Countries: Japan
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"In a separate decision on Wednesday that was more heartening for women’s rights campaigners, the Supreme Court struck down a rule requiring divorced women to wait at least 150 days before remarrying. The rule is intended to prevent confusion over paternity in cases in which the divorcing woman is pregnant, but critics called it outdated and sexist. The court did not reject the basic principle of a waiting period, however, but merely demanded a shorter time frame, saying that anything over 100 days was an unconstitutional burden" (para 14-15). Note: This is for divorced women, not necessarily widows (ORR-CODER COMMENT)
March 29, 2016, 11:29 a.m.
Countries: East Timor
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"The Civil Code contains a provision on the period of time to be awaited to re-enter in a marriage after divorce or death of a spouse (inter-nuptial time) of 180 days for men and 300 days for women (Art. 1494). The law allows woman to marry after 180 days if she obtains “judicial declaration ascertaining that she is not pregnant or if she does not have a child after dissolution, declaration of nullity or annulment of previous marriage” (Art. 1494-2). This difference in inter-nuptial time for men and women may derive from social dogma in terms of widowhood, as the law imposes ‘official mourning’ between the dissolution of the previous...more
Feb. 29, 2016, 9:23 a.m.
Countries: Ukraine
Variables: WR-LAW-1

""There are no laws regarding widow remarriage. The women can make their own choices." Anna Cheburei" (12)
Jan. 6, 2016, 10:42 p.m.
Countries: Benin
Variables: WR-LAW-1, IW-LAW-1

"Act No. 2002-07 of 24 August 2004 on the Personal and Family Code lays down egalitarian principles in accordance with the Constitution and thus significantly combats discrimination. For example, it abolishes marriage by levirate (art. 122)" (5). Marriage by levirate refers to the type of marriage in which the brother of the deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's widow and the widow is required to marry her deceased husband's brother (HLH-CODER COMMENT)
Aug. 25, 2015, 11:59 p.m.
Countries: Dominican Republic
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"A consensus-based draft reform was prepared and promoted by the Ministry of Women and the Women’s Forum for Constitutional Reform. Preparations are now being made to analyse and review this proposal in accordance with the new Constitution of the Republic, since the latter text strengthens and broadens expectations with regard to the most relevant aspects, such as the responsibility of parents to provide their sons and daughters with an education and prepare them for the future; it also provides that gender-based physical, psychological, sexual or economic acts of violence committed by one spouse against another are causes for dissolving a marriage that are not subject to appeal and constitute a...more
May 29, 2015, 7:24 p.m.
Countries: Jordan
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"The [CEDAW] Committee further notes the lack of a civil code for family matters" (11)
Dec. 26, 2014, 3:01 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"It is a well-known fact that the perpetrators of abuses such as denial of rights to inheritance, land, property, custody of children, forced remarriage (for example, in breach of the levirate law, Sec 77 (2) of the Civil Status Registration Ordinance, 1981,) coercive degrading and harmful HTPs include, not just rural people where traditional attitudes are deeply ingrained and knowledge of modern laws is poor, but also many high-status important male figures in government, and in the military. This is intolerable. These men should be role models, and not perpetuators of discriminatory and abusive attitudes to women, girls and especially widows!" (Para 7). "According to Paragraph 31 of the periodic...more
Nov. 13, 2014, 9:37 p.m.
Countries: Tunisia
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"Umm Amana belongs to the fundamentalist Salafi community in Tunisia, so it’s no wonder she opposes the laws for gender equality, passed back in 1956 right after Tunisia declared its independence. These laws, which are the most progressive in the Arab world, are perceived by orthodox Muslim women, and Salafists in particular, as detrimental to their faith and way of life. These laws deal with women’s status, forbidding polygamy and giving women full control over their children in the event of their husbands’ death. The minimum age for marriage is set at 17, and requires the woman’s consent. In 1981 another law was passed, forbidding women to cover their heads...more
July 11, 2012, 8:56 a.m.
Countries: Cambodia
Variables: WR-LAW-1

"For example, Art. 9 of the Law on Marriage and Family states that 'After the dissolution of marriage a woman may remarry. However, she shall remain in a legal state of marriage until at least 120 days after the death of husband or 120 days after the judgment which grants a final divorce.' Since the last Shadow Report of 2005, the law has reduced the number of days from 300 to 120, but discrimination against women is still present in the document" (9-10)