The Impact of Property Grabbing on Widows’ Lives Widows described the various ways in which property grabbing affected their lives. Many said it drove them into poverty; some said they became homeless; and others said their children dropped out of school because they could no longer pay school fees.64 Linda, 32, from Midlands, has a child with a disability who needs to attend a special school. Since her husband passed away five years ago, she has not been able to pay the school fees: We had five cattle in our marriage, and my in-laws sold three of them without compensating me. I am struggling to keep up…. The worst part of it is that the relatives are not even concerned with the welfare of the child. The family has refused to register the estate [to begin administering the inheritance]. I have requested that they help register the estate, but they say they will not write my name on my estate, only my son’s name…. It is painful that you have worked for something with your husband and then people come and want to grab it.65 Widows Human Rights Watch spoke with had little choice about which laws applied to them. Family members determined that customary inheritance practices would be followed, and widows could not change this. Marie, 80, was married from 1967 to 2010, when her husband passed away. We did a traditional marriage, and a wedding, which was my husband’s idea…. He passed in October 2010. We lived in the same town where I was born and exchanged visits with my in-laws often during our marriage. 64 Article 13 of the ICESCR states that “Primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all,” and states parties are to progressively realize the right to free secondary education, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted on December 16, 1966, G.A. Res. 2200A (XXI), 21 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 49, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 993 U.N.T.S. 3, entered into force January 3, 1976. 65 Human Rights Watch interview with Linda, June 1, 2016. “YOU WILL GET NOTHING” 28