Finally, progressive increases in pensions for widows and widowers.

Widowers, however, were not entitled to benefits under the AWW.

or widowers around town for just one... It's a little odd.

There were 13,581 married individuals, 2,146 widows or widowers and 1,995 individuals who are divorced.

7.5 The Committee observes that since December 1988, benefits under the Act are granted to widows and widowers alike.

The Administration is prepared to intensify its verification procedures as regards the continuing eligibility for benefits of widows widowers.

It refers to its decision to introduce new legislation abolishing the legal distinction between widows and widowers with regard to pensions, and states that pending enactment of the bill, equal treatment is at present accorded to widows and widowers on the basis of case law.

(b) The present procedures for verifying Certificates of Entitlement of widows widowers for continuing eligibility for benefit should be improved.

There were only 7,000 widowers receiving survivors' benefit half of them receiving the regular benefit and the other half, the combined benefit.

It submits that it has decided to introduce new legislation to replace the existing Act, regulating pension entitlements for both widows and widowers.

Beginning later this month, we will have our Survivor apos s Pension extended to widowers on the same terms and conditions as to widows.

Unemployed men and women insured against unemployment who are or become widowers widows are entitled to receiving the unemployment benefit despite receiving a survivor's pension.

In terms of this Act, men and women are equally eligible for individual rights to communal land, and the treatment of widows and widowers is identical.

5.2 The State party acknowledges that social realities have changed and that the different treatment between widows and widowers can no longer be justified in present day society.

He argues that, with regard to pensions for widows and widowers, the distinction between men and women in 1979 was no longer based on reasonable and objective criteria.

In terms of the Act, men and women are equally eligible for individual rights of tenure on communal land, and the treatment of widows and widowers is the same.

The present procedures for verifying Certificates of Entitlements of widows widowers for continuing eligibility for benefits should be improved in view of inherent risks in this type of benefit.

He notes moreover that already in 1973, the Nederlandse Gezinsraad (Dutch Family Council), an official advisory body to the Government, recommended the granting of benefits under the Act to widowers.

The Administration considers it unfair, unproductive and potentially costly to single out some 5,000 widows widowers for requiring notarized affidavits as a possible means of ascertaining that they have not remarried.

According to the State party, there was therefore no reason for the scheme to cover widowers too, as it was assumed that a widower would be able to earn his own living.

Further, to serve as a deterrent, consideration should be given to the need to request widows widowers to submit every two years notarized affidavits to the effect that they have not remarried.

The Decree strictly prohibits polygamy, the customs of exacting wedding presents, wife robbery and string binding (i.e. widows and widowers are forced to get married with other members of their deceased spouse's family).

quot to serve as a deterrent, consideration should be given to the need to request widows widowers to submit every two years notarized affidavits to the effect that they have not remarried. quot

Considering the diversity of the victims of the conflict, namely, the refugees, the many orphans, the widowers and widows, the disabled and others in need, in particular the young people in need of schooling,

The author refers to his initial communication and quotes from a 1973 report of the Family Council, where the extension of the applicability of the Act to widowers was recommended on an urgent basis.

The Board of Auditors had recommended that the present procedures for verifying the Certificates of Entitlement of widows and widowers, to determine their continuing eligibility for the survivors apos benefits in payment, be improved.

Also, to serve as a deterrent, consideration should be given to the need to request widows widowers to submit every two years notarized affidavits to the effect that they have not remarried (see para. 38)

3.4 The author states that article 26 of the Covenant is directly applicable in the Netherlands as of 11 March 1979, and that the refusal of benefits to widowers violates this article as of that date.

According to the author, there was therefore no longer a valid reason in 1979, when the Covenant entered into force for the Netherlands, to distinguish between widows and widowers, in violation of article 26 of the Covenant.

6.1 In his comments dated 12 April 1994, the author argues that even if in 1959 social reality was such that there was no reason to apply the Act to widowers, in 1979 this situation had already changed.

In their various categories, the Rwandan refugees number in the millions and we must add to this the thousands of war displaced people, widows and widowers, orphans, the disabled, the rejected all needing subsidies and socio professional reintegration.

As at 31 December 2004, the breakdown of the periodic benefits in award was as follows 17,338 retirement benefits 12,092 early retirement benefits 6,613 deferred retirement benefits 8,676 widows' and widowers' benefits 8,156 children's benefits 960 disability benefits and 44 secondary dependants' benefits.

7.3 The Committee notes that, while the law in question makes a distinction between widows and widowers, this distinction has been inoperative since 7 December 1988, when the Central Board of Appeal found it unreasonable and in violation of the principle of equality.

On 31 December 1993, the breakdown of the periodic benefits in award was as follows 11,688 retirement benefits, 6,427 early retirement benefits, 5,736 deferred retirement benefits, 4,963 widows apos and widowers apos benefits, 5,896 children apos s benefits, 669 disability benefits and 56 secondary dependants apos benefits.

The Board did not endorse the suggestion made by the Board of Auditors that widows and widowers be required to submit to the Fund notarized certificates that they had not remarried, as that was not seen as a useful, reliable or cost effective solution to avoiding fraud.

But statistics alone are unimportant, as not a single life should have been lost in the first place above all, behind these cold statistics are real people husbands and wives, sons and daughters, all of whom perished leaving behind widows and widowers, as well as orphans.

The Administration does not think it would be practical or effective to require a notarized statement from widows and widowers every two years because, in its view, the act of notarization verifies only the identity of the signer and not the validity of the statements made by the signer.

5. Requests the Board to continue to review the monitoring and control procedures for payments from the Fund in order to strengthen the verification process, including those related to the payment of benefits to widows and widowers, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty first session

2.2 Ten years later, on 7 December 1988, the Central Board of Appeal (Centrale Raad van Beroep), the highest court in social security cases, decided that, despite the text of the law, widowers were also entitled to benefits under the General Widows apos and Orphans apos Act, since the legal provisions were considered to be in violation of the principle of non discrimination.