Source: RNW
In Cameroon, widows are often go through to humiliating and degrading rituals to prove their innocence in their husband's death.

Tradition in many parts of Cameroon dictates that there is no such thing as natural death. Widows are therefore subjected to various rituals to determine whether or not they are responsible for their husband's death. Elise Makouintcheu went through such an ordeal in November 2010.

At the end of the two-month period, she was taken to a stream for a ritual bath. "I felt very humiliated, because I had to walk naked through the village to get to the stream. It was at daybreak but there were still people in the streets," Elise recounts.

After the bath and several rituals, the grieving widow was asked, by one of her sisters-in-law, to urinate in the presence of everyone in order to prove her innocence in her husband's death. "My bladder was blocked because of the stress and the crowd. I only managed to do it an hour later," Elise recounts.

Abuse
Anne Marie Ewolo, who comes from another part of the country, was also put through a widowhood rite earlier this year. When her husband died, she was made to lie on the floor next to the corpse, for three days. She made sure to grieve and appear sad throughout the ordeal, for fear of being suspected of having played a part in her spouse's death.

After the funeral, she was taken to a river, stripped naked and covered in mud, with a banana tree trunk on her head. Along the way, she was repeatedly hit by her sisters-in-law, who blamed her for their brother's death.

After the bath, the in-laws forced her to have sexual relations with one of her brothers-in-law. She was then shaved and made to wear a white boubou (a traditional African garment). She is still not allowed to wear clothes of any other colour, remarry, have sexual relations, use beauty products or wear jewellery.

The duration of this period of abstinence, which is usually between to three years, is often at the discretion of the in-laws.

No rights for the widow
Widowhood rites vary greatly. But they share the tendency of being degrading and humiliating in nature. Educated and financially independent women are less willing to submit to such rituals. However, women who are ignorant of their rights or have no income are often victims of financial blackmail by the family-in-law. Some widows have been disowned and expelled from the marital home.

The rites are harsher on the widows than on the widowers. For the men who lose their spouses, the process is less frustrating and they are encouraged to remarry as soon as possible. On the other hand, women must remain single for as long as possible, especially when they refuse to marry one of their deceased husband's brothers.

An International Widows' Day has been instituted by the United Nations to raise international awareness on these practices and for a better protection of the rights of widows. International Widows' Day is celebrated on 23 June and the first edition was held this year.

• Cameroon