Monday 16th June 2014. ONE in three older people around the world suffer some form of abuse.
The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2014 celebration as part of Age Demands Action on Rights Campaign hosted by Fiji Council of Social Services in partnership with HelpAge International and Pacific Island Association of Non-Governmental Organisation [PIANGO] in Tanoa Skylodge in Nadi.
Globally on 15 June, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, activists around the world took part in Age Demands Action [ADA] for Rights campaign calling for a new UN Convention on the rights of the older person and policy makers, particularly governments, to engage in UN Open Ended Working Group on Ageing [OEWGA] discussion.
ADA for Rights Campaign is globally calling all governments to continue to support the OEWGA process and fully engage with it, which means ensuring that a government representative attends the meeting and contributes actively and constructively to the discussions there.
During the half day World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Celebrations yesterday it was highlighted that many older people suffer abuse in silence and are not reported.
In research conducted by FCOSS highlights that older people in Fiji go through physical, mental and emotional abuse and their rights are violated and thus a UN Convention on the
Rights of Older People will ensure this does not happen.
While the rights of women, children, prisoners and people with disabilities are all protected through special international conventions, no such human rights convention exist for older people despite specific discrimination and human rights violation they face.
The UN set up the OEWGA in order to discuss how best to protect older people’s rights. It is the only place where the rights of older people are discussed at a global level by national government representatives who have the power to bring about change.
PIANGO members present from 10 Pacific countries shared their respective responses on existing programs and follow up actions to implement as a direct result from the awareness campaign by FCOSS
FCOSS calls for policy makers to engage effectively in the UN Open Ended Working Group on ageing meeting scheduled in end of July 2014.
Ends