Human rights do not change with age, yet, time and time again, older people’s rights are being violated in a number of different ways.

Here are some examples:

Right to freedom from violence, UDHR Article 3

Many older people, especially older women, experience violence in what should be safe environments – their own homes and care settings. Many are victims of war and conflict and often cruelty towards older people is due to traditional beliefs.

Kenya has seen a large increase in brutal killings of older people, mostly women, accused of witchcraft. An estimated 42 older people were killed in 2008 and 23 were killed in the first half of 2009 alone.

Source: HelpAge Kenya and HelpAge International, Submission to the Kenyan Human Rights Council, 26 June 2009

Right to equality before the law, UDHR Article 6

Without passports or other identification papers to prove who they are, older people often find it impossible to be treated fairly by legal systems.  This means that their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights are often ignored.

A 2005 survey of nearly 4,000 older people in Mozambique found that 42% had no identification cards, which they needed to claim free healthcare. Older women were twice as likely as older men to not have identification cards.

Source: Baseline report: community tracking and monitoring in Mozambique, HelpAge International and International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2006

Right to property, UDHR Article 17

In many parts of the world, women of all ages are denied the right to own or inherit property when their husbands die by unfair inheritance laws. Family members often force widows off their land or seize their property.

In Tanzania, older people brought 19,800 cases to paralegal advisers between 2004 and 2008. Nearly half were inheritance and land rights cases and 77% of these were brought by older women.

Source: HelpAge International, Final evaluation report of the older women inheritance rights project, May 2008, unpublished

Right to information, UDHR Article 19

Older people often do not have access to suitable and accessible information and are not aware of their rights.

In Moldova, a survey of 500 grandparents caring for grandchildren showed that less than 10% had information about the childcare services and free medical insurance they were entitled to.

Source: HelpAge International, Grandparents and grandchildren: impact of migration in Moldova, HelpAge/UNICEF project: findings and recommendations, February 2008

Right to social security, UDHR Article 22

Millions of older people have no form of social assistance or pension and enter old age with no security or income.

In Zambia, only 4% of older people in three communities surveyed in 2006 received a pension. 75% of these were men. Only 7% of older people in the survey received other social welfare assistance, for example, food and blankets. Even then, the support was irregular and insufficient.

Source: Kamwengo M, The situation of older people in Zambia, HelpAge International, 2006

Right to work, UDHR Article 23

Older people want to work but cannot get jobs because of age discrimination. Many are forced to take low-paid jobs that are unsafe or demeaning because employers assume they cannot do any other work.

In Peru, older people are frequently prevented from even applying for jobs, regardless of their skills and qualifications. In interviews in 2008, older people said that job advertisements often specify that applicants must not be older than 35.

Source: HelpAge International, Working for life: making decent work a reality for older people, May 2009

Right to health, UDHR Article 25

The right to health is fundamental for older people, yet health services can be too expensive or simply unavailable. There are countless horrific cases of older people being turned away from health centres and refused treatment because they are old.

In Mozambique, older people are entitled to free healthcare and medication. Despite this, project research from 2008 showed that 85% of older people in 15 communities had to pay for medical consultations and medication.

Nurses at health centres knew that older people were entitled to free healthcare but said there was nothing they could do.

Source: Helpage International, Interim narrative report (year 1), ONG –PVD/2007/134-482, 2009, unpublished

Rights in emergencies

International, humanitarian, human rights and refugee law protects older people affected by conflicts and emergencies, but are not often identified as a vulnerable group in emergency response programmes.

In a recent survey, 51 out of 60 humanitarian agencies worldwide reported having policies that identify particular vulnerable groups. 22 of these gave older people their lowest priority or did not rate them as a priority at all. Only three agencies made older people their top priority.

Source: Older people in disasters and humanitarian crises: Guidelines for best practice. HelpAge International, London, 2005