International Women’s Day 2013. A widow poses for a picture inside her room at the Meera Sahavagini ashram in the pilgrimage town of Vrindavan in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh March 6, 2013. Hundreds of widows who have been abandoned by their families live in the shelter, or ashram, run by the NGO Sulabh International. In India, when a man dies, traditionally his widow is expected to renounce all earthly pleasures, such as wearing colourful clothes or looking attractive, and she can face severe social discrimination. Sulabh International works to provide abandoned widows with education, healthcare and vocational skills. Issues surrounding the treatment of women are receiving special attention on March 8, which marks International Women’s Day.



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