War Widows Association (WWA) is a registered non-governmental civilian organisation based in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

for the support of women who have lost their husbands to war. The Association has reached out to and supported the widows of the

1965 Indo-Pakistani War The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

, the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the Kargil War in 1999 as well as the widows of the

CRPF The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role lie ...

men killed in Pulwama attack in 2019.

Description

WWA was formed by women who were affected by the trauma of the

to provide support to wives who had lost their husbands in the 1971 Indo-Pak war; this was the impetus for the formation of the War Widows Association in 1972 with its chairperson as V.Mohini Giri. The group found out that the main concerns of the widows after losing their husbands were "shelter, jobs and dignity". The widows also struggled with supporting their children. With these findings, the group approached Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

who promised her support for the empowerment of the widows along with the construction of ''Shaheed Bhawan,'' Aruna Asaf Ali Marg for the usage of WWA. After the

Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...

, with almost no resources, WWA offered to provide housing and transport facilities for the families of the soldiers hospitalized in Delhi.

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

N. K. Pant (Retd) explains that "the majority of the killed and wounded soldiers are in the age group of 23 to 25 years, and most of them have left behind young widows and infants". The organisations holds events on occasions like Vijay Diwas, the end of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.

Mission

The following mission became its mandate:Jyoti Atwal, Jawaharlal Nehru University (2017)
Cultural Trauma and Welfare for War Widows in India (PDF)
. Croatian Political Science Review, Vol. 54, No. 1-2, 2017, pp. 52-73.

References

{{Non-governmental organizations in India Indian Army Military-related organizations Veterans' affairs in India Organisations based in India Widowhood in India 1972 establishments in Delhi Organizations established in 1972 Women in Delhi

Description

Mission

See also

References