WENO, Chuuk—On June 23 , 2021, International Widows Day, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—visited a grieving widow, her children, and extended family. The purpose of the visit was to show love, support, and the Government’s formal acknowledgement that grief is real, that grief matters, and that, where widowhood is the result of a violent crime, the Government will do everything in its power to ensure justice prevails.
The FSM has hundreds of women who have lost their husbands, and these women and their children often invisibly suffer the impact of widowhood, ranging from economic deprivation to social stigmatization, on top of their own experiences of grief and loss.
The wife and children President Panuelo visited were the grieving family of a man who, on June 12 ,
2021, had been the victim of a brutal and horrifying murder that took place before their eyes. After confirming that the alleged attackers were already being held in custody, President Panuelo intended to show the family that the Government genuinely hears them.
“With the hope that imperfect words are better than no words at all,” President Panuelo said, “I want you to know that I am sorry for your loss. Truthfully, I do not and cannot know what you are going through; but I do know that it is tragic and terrible. I am sorry your husband died. I am sorry your children have lost their father. I am sorry that you are feeling pain. I want you to know that you matter, that your family matters, and your grief matters. I hope that, by acknowledging your pain, it will ease it, if only by a little.”
“What I can give you today,” President Panuelo continued, “is your Government’s acknowledgement that your situation is real and your situation is hard, and a promise that we will do everything in our power to make sure that the attackers are never able to harm you, your family, or anyone’s family ever again.”
The murder itself was a topic of significant discussion between President Panuelo and the Honorable Alexander R. Narruhn, Governor of the State of Chuuk, on June 22. Governor Narruhn confirmed to President Panuelo that the alleged attackers were being held in custody; President Panuelo in turn offered to the Governor any and all support the National Government can provide to Chuuk in the area of law enforcement. Both President Panuelo and Governor Narruhn committed to ensuring that the rule of law and the Micronesian tradition of respect are upheld at all times and by all facets of society.
“My fellow Micronesians,” President Panuelo said in a statement, “Human rights are for everyone. For many widows, losing their husband can mean losing rights, facing economic insecurity, and facing social discrimination. I call on each and every one of us to go out of our way to show love and support to our families and our neighbors, and even further, to show love to every single person we meet. Our Micronesian tradition of respect need not only refer to deference to our elders; it can, and must, also mean to show compassion for our widows.”
