Over the past few days, the issue of welfare payments to widows and divorced women has figured in the media, particularly social media. Statements made by the concerned bodies and angry reactions have aroused public interest.
The media has taken interest in the issue because of earlier complaints from the women concerned and their families that their monthly allowances should be increased to help them meet their needs. Taking into consideration the fact that some of these women have offered great services to this nation when the country’s economic situation was weaker and resources very limited, it should not be difficult to help fulfil their needs.
What we are calling for here is simply gratitude for their work; to give them moral, social and economic support to help them enjoy the decent life they deserve. Whatever we as citizens or the government may do for them, it would not be much compared to their services to the people.
We only have to read recent history in order to get an idea of what these people have done for Qatar in all fields.
Qatari widows, who have lost their family’s backbone and have been marginalised over time, need social and moral support for social stability after having faced difficult changes in their lives. These widows are now responsible for families that include three or more children, and they are badly in need of all kinds of support — moral, social and financial — from the state and citizens.
Most importantly, these widows need financial support in order to meet their needs as they are working tooth and nail at the emotional and psychological levels to compensate their children for the loss of their father.
There is enough to say here about the suffering of divorced women and widows, but what disappointed me as a woman and a Qatari was the complaint made by a widow following a statement by an official from the concerned agency, in which he said the social affairs allowances given to widows and divorced women were enough to meet their needs. The woman said that she had eight children and what she was getting was spent on court fees and nothing was left for her children. The official’s statement provoked angry reactions from a considerable number of people.
So, is the allowance enough to cover the basic needs of the families of these divorced women — food, drinks, a housemaid and driver — given the rise in the cost of living? Will the allowance keep the divorced women afloat, or let them treat themselves and their children to dinner at home, or make up for the emotional and social suffering they have experienced as a result of the death of their husband, or the way the merciless Gulf society
views them?
Will this allowance cover the costs — which include the dowry, expensive gifts and a party — if a divorced woman wants to help one of her sons or daughters get married? Will the money help the woman buy the simplest electronic gadget, given the fact that a modest laptop or mobile phone sells for at least QR1,500 these days? Will the Social Affairs handout cover the basic and other needs of widows and divorced women, which include clothes, perfumes and other things, taking into consideration the fact that consumerism has become an essential part of Qatari culture, thanks to the fast pace of development in this country? Widows and divorced women now have to shoulder all these costs by themselves in the absence of a husband.
Some widows and divorced women can make their voices heard to the officials of this country. Others, however, keep silent lest they be subjected to any kind of embarrassment. They are also afraid of any possible negative reaction from government officials.
Nobody can deny the efforts several government officials have made through social projects they launched while they were in office. These projects have benefited a large number of widows and divorced women. But still, we have hopes that the government will react positively and quickly to calls for increasing the monthly aid it gives to widows and divorced women. We hope these women are given the same treatment as Qatari government employees, who have been given a raise several times by a decree from the Emir. We hope the leadership of this country, which has never delayed in responding positively to the needs of the people, will offer this special category of Qataris higher allowances. This is the least we can offer to these women who suffer under all sorts of pressures. We need to help them lead a dignified life and bear the growing cost of living in this country.
