‘Tiger Widows’ – Invisible Victims of Animal & Human Conflicts in Sundarbans

Sundarbans being monitored with a drone

By Ashok Kumar Nayak, Programme Manager, ActionAid Association

Since 2010, International Widows’ Day on June 23rd has served as an important global observance aimed at highlighting the challenges faced by widows worldwide. Initiated by the United Nations, this day symbolises an ongoing effort to uphold the fundamental human rights of widows, who often remain marginalised and overlooked. According to UN data, there are over 258 million widows globally, enduring various forms of social, economic, and emotional hardship.

Some decades ago, activists working on the issue realised that along with widows, a range of other women face similar vulnerabilities. There are women who are separated, divorced, or abandoned by their spouses, as well as women who, out of choice or due to compelling circumstances have never married, many of whom act as mothers or caregivers. So there is both a need to widen the category of “widow” to include “single women” who face similar vulnerabilities, and there is a need to examine the various sub-categories within the term “widow” – which includes the category of “tiger widows”. 

In the Sundarbans region, a vast mangrove forest region spanning India and Bangladesh, there are women who have lost their husbands to tiger attacks. This area, known for its Bengal tiger population, is perilous for local inhabitants who rely on forest resources for their livelihoods.These women who are known as “Tiger Widows” face extreme social and economic challenges. Often ostracized by their communities, they struggle with severe financial instability due to the loss of their primary breadwinners. Without adequate compensation or support, they are forced into menial labour to survive. Additionally, cultural stigmas around widowhood exacerbate their isolation and hardship.

Despite media estimates suggesting over 3,000 “tiger widows” in the region, there exists no official census data. Annually, between 30 to 50 people fall victim to tiger attacks, a figure exacerbated by environmental factors such as climate change-induced habitat loss. The plight of these widows indicates broader issues of environmental conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and the need for targeted interventions to support and empower marginalised communities affected by such unique and challenging circumstances.

In the year 2016, Society for Direct Initiative for Social and health Action (DISHA) and ActionAid Association took up the initiative of organising “tiger widows” into forming an organisation, which led to the formation of the Sundarban Badhra Bidhaba Samiti (SBBS) – Sunderbans Tiger Widow Forum. The SBBS mobilized “tiger widows” to effectively assert their rights.

The most urgent challenge faced by these widows is extreme poverty, highlighting the critical need for timely compensation to help them cope with sudden economic hardship. On February 2021, a government order was passed mandating the state forest department to provide Rs. 5 lakhs in compensation to “tiger widows”. However, navigating the bureaucratic hurdles and administrative complexities often subjects these widows to further distress and harassment when accessing their rightful compensations, life insurance claims, and state social protections.

Since its establishment, SBBS has encountered numerous obstacles, including difficulties with forest officers and local government bodies such as PRI, BDO, and DFO. Despite these challenges, the organisation remains steadfast in its mission: ensuring that the voices of the widows guide their path forward.

In a significant step forward, SBBS recently took action when two widows, Sarojini Mondal and Saraswati Auliya, filed a writ petition in the Calcutta High Court in November 2023 to claim compensation under the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA 1972). Both women lost their husbands in tiger attacks while fishing in the Sundarbans in October, one of whom disappeared into the forest after being dragged away by a tiger.

Prior to resorting to legal action, the widows had made extensive efforts since January 2020 to engage with department officials, and in April 2023, they sought assistance from the state women’s commission, which forwarded their application to the forest department. With support from SBBS, a local activist Mr. Tapan Mandal, and a young advocate from Kolkata, they were able to gather the necessary documentation and navigate the judicial process.

Despite their efforts, the forest department denied their claim, alleging that their husbands had entered a restricted area illegally. This response, though contentious, illustrates a stark reality faced by many in similar situations involving tiger attacks.

On 18 January 2024 the Hon’ble Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya of the Calcutta High Court issued a significant order directing an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs to two tiger widows within 15 days, which they promptly received. The State Women’s Commission further supported this by providing legal aid to other cases, facilitating claims for life insurance, ex-gratia payments, and social protections.

The court’s ruling has reinvigorated SBBS’s efforts, bolstering momentum from the successful judicial outcome. This empowerment through the judiciary enables SBBS to strategize effectively against socio-economic challenges, climate change impacts, and deep-rooted gender biases.

This landmark court decision empowered the widows while also expanding advocacy efforts. SBBS launched a campaign to disseminate awareness of this ruling among widows, which helped inculcate solidarity. During the recent general elections, SBBS presented demands to candidates in the Jayanagar Lok Sabha Constituency, holding discussions and displaying posters outlining the widows’ key concerns at the village level. - The Telegraph News