Dr. Prabir Chatterjee
“Ei buro!” Or “Sei Buri!” Even Old Hag! In various languages! These are common comments every day. Not pleasant at all.
Even small acts like refusal to give up the seat for Seniors in the bus. Worse still, we read of children sending their parents to the streets or temples or to Mathura and Vrindavan or Old Peoples’ Homes and taking over their property and their pensions. There are cases where they are sent to a mental asylum or left in a hospital bed and abandoned, even after they recover. There are so many who suffer verbal abuse and withholding of sufficient food in the house. Making aged parents sleep in cramped quarters or on unpleasant floors is not uncommon either. And simply neglect. Adult children not visiting parents when one can.
“Older people often experience ageism and age discrimination, fuelled by negative stereotypes that they are somehow less valuable, weak or dependent on others. As a consequence, we have found that their rights are often less protected in many areas of daily life, leaving them at greater risk of violence, poverty, and neglect”, says Amnesty.
As people grow older, their rights are disregarded and their dignity undermined. For too long, older people have been seen not as rights-holders, but as the subjects of the charity or medical sectors. Yet, they too are human. And every human deserves the same dignity and rights from the cradle into old age and until they pass away- again with dignity.
Currently there are a projected 138 million elderly in India. Organizations like Help Age India run numerous programs on the ground, addressing elder needs and advocating for their rights, such as their right to Universal Pension, right to Quality Healthcare, taking action against Elder Abuse and many more at a national, state and societal level with Central and State governments. There are direct interventions in the areas of Healthcare (mobile healthcare units, cataract surgeries), Agecare (helplines, senior citizen care homes and day care centres, physiotherapy), of Livelihoods (elder-self-help groups; linkages with government schemes), and in Disaster Response (e.g. covid19 relief response), as well as Advocacy and Awareness on rights and policies relating to elders.
In Kerala there are initiatives for Palliative Care for those who need long term treatment. A special section of ASHA workers have been trained to ensure care for older people- especially palliative care assistance
To date, there is no dedicated international treaty protecting the rights of older people. Neither has India, nor any state in this country. However, United Nations member states recently adopted a momentous decision identifying gaps in the protection of the human rights of older people by recommending, among other measures, a new international convention.
Amnesty International has launched a campaign “Age Loud! Demand a world where human rights last a lifetime.”
We too should demand a world where human rights last a lifetime.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2024/06/amnesty-international-launches-new-campaign-to-protect-human-rights-in-older-age/
