The Association for The Aged has recently joined the global movement of the ‘Age with Rights’ campaign with the aim of casting a spotlight on upholding the rights of the elderly.
To mark the occasion, TAFTA homes hosted rallies where their elderly residents banded together by displaying posters that call on government, political figures, service providers and corporates to ensure that ageing remains on the development agenda and to speak out for the rights of older people.
TAFTA CEO, Femada Shamam, said: “Abuse against the elderly through infringement of their human rights is a global issue with many elders being subjected to violence, malnutrition, destitution, abandonment, neglect and discrimination. This is largely due to the lack of explicit references to older persons’ rights in existing human rights treaties, that are also unclear on how human rights apply in older age.”
Shamam said that by engaging with elders in the Age with Rights campaign, they are hoping to generate support from government to actively participate in an international, legally-binding convention. “In doing so, a framework can be established to guide policy makers on how to build a society where older people are valued and are able to enjoy their human rights as they age,” she added.
The Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP) together with numerous global partners, including TAFTA, is lobbying for the Convention to be proclaimed the next major human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations that will seek to remedy a fragmented human rights structure for older persons.
As a build up to the next United Nations annual meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing, the GAROP placed a call for campaigners around the world to join a Global Rally in support of the Age with Rights campaign. The association is encouraging key stakeholders to attend and voice their opinions in the next United Nations Working Group meeting to be held from 11 to 14 April, and to involve and consult with older people prior to the event to ensure inputs made at the meeting are based on experiences faced by elders in our society.
