Responses to the problem of elder abuse are inadequate. Less than one-third of governments worldwide have implemented any sort of strategy to combat this problem. There are no international human rights standards or conventions on freedom from violence and abuse in older age.

For this reason, Age Demands Action on Rights takes place every year on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 15 June. It is a key date for older men and women to come together to raise awareness about elder abuse and to campaign on the need to protect their rights under international law. Together, they are calling for their governments to support a new UN convention on the rights of older people.

This year 40 organisations across 35 countries are taking part. Below are examples of what partners are doing to raise awareness about elder abuse:

• Malawi Network of Older Persons Organisations (MANEPO) is drawing attention to witchcraft accusations using dance, drama and organising a march with a police band to draw in crowds.
• Ageing Nepal is rallying the community and local leaders with two elder abuse awareness-raising sessions to audiences of different ages, as well as asking people to sign a petition demanding their government to attend this year’s Open Ended Working Group on Ageing.
• In Bosnia and Herzegovina, OSMIJEH has arranged for older people representatives and civil society organisations to meet with the Ministry of Human Rights to discuss older people's fight against discrimination, violence and abuse, and older people will be speaking directly to the media about their experiences.
• HelpAge's office in Kenya will be focusing on educating younger people about elder abuse through a short film and discussion, with older people sharing their views.

This year’s theme, from the World Health Organization (WHO), is depression.

We are calling on older men and women to take action to draw attention to high levels of depression among older people. 

Depression and older people

Globally, an estimated 350 million people of all ages suffer, and it affects 7% of the general older population.

Multiple social, psychological, and biological factors determine a person's mental health at any point in their life. As well as the stress that can affect those of any age, many older people lose their ability to live independently because of limited mobility, chronic pain, frailty, or other mental or physical problems. This can mean they require long-term care.

Older people are more likely to experience bereavement, disability or a drop in socioeconomic status with retirement. All of these factors can result in isolation, loss of independence and psychological distress.

Symptoms of depression in older people are often overlooked, untreated and under-identified because they coincide with other problems or because there is a stigma that surrounds mental health.

What we want decision makers to know

• Depression is a common mental disorder that affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries.
• Mental health and emotional wellbeing are as important in older age as at any other time of life.
• Older people face particular physical and mental health challenges that need to be recognised and tackled.
• Studies suggest that receiving an income allows older people greater autonomy and can reduce feelings of financial dependency.
• Tackling ageism within the health sector will be crucial in ensuring increased access to health services for older people, including for depression.

How are partners taking action this year?

This year 56 campaign partners are mobilising around the world and six new partners are joining Age Demands Action for the first time.

• In Fiji, a delegation of older people will meet with the Minister of Health and host live radio talk shows to discuss depression.
• In Rwanda, our partner will hold a workshop on depression with older people, health professionals and representatives from residential care centres.
• In Nicaragua, older people will be meeting with journalists to raise awareness of depression more widely among older people.

Read more about World Health Day and how older people are affected by older people.

We are using this opportunity to highlight how ageism manifests itself across the world and leads to the discrimination, stereotyping and abuse of older people everywhere. 

Global campaign to combat ageism 

The problem of ageism is increasingly gaining traction at a global level and combatting it is now seen by the World Health Organisation and other global institutions as being of critical importance. At the 69th World Health Assembly in May a resolution sponsored by 17 countries called for a global campaign to combat ageism. We hope that this ADA Global will help support the first steps to take a stand against this worldwide problem.

Why take a stand against ageism?

• Ageism is all around us.

• All older people are different but ageism assumes that growing older is the same experience for everyone.

• We must question ageism and how older people are often stereotyped in a certain way because of their age.

• We live in a world where older people’s rights are denied. This must change!

• Let’s begin to appreciate our diversity throughout our whole lives including in later life.

• We live in an ageing world. Let's not make it an ageist one!

Ageism campaign manuals

• With the help of the consciousness-raising guide, hold to encourage older people to share their experiences in your community.
• Use the role-play guide to organise a workshop thats starts a conversation on ageism.
• Download the ADA Global campaign toolkit.
• Sign up to our campaigns newsletter for more information about the campaign.
• Show your support for older activists across the world, by telling us why you're taking a stand against ageism.