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Speak Out on Older Indigenous Caught in Armed Conflict
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Global
Action on Aging, May 17, 2004
Monday, May 17, 2004, Global Action on Aging organized during the
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues a side event panel on "Older
Indigenous People caught in Armed Conflict." Older Indigenous people,
especially women, are very vulnerable in armed conflict situations. It is
very hard for them to access humanitarian aid even when it is available.
They don't have the strength to fight for food. Some relief workers also
believe that old people are about to die, so there is no need to help
them. Here is a summary of the speeches from the different speakers
present.
Diane Paul, Consultant Expert, Humanitarian Assistance:
Ms. Paul spoke about primary problems that older persons face when they
are caught in armed conflict situations. As a relief employee of the
International Federation of Red Cross-Red Crescent in former
Yugoslavia
, she noticed that relief workers tend to isolate older persons into one
single group. But she asked, "Are they really all in the same
situation?"
The International Federation sent her on a mission to a Bosnian camp. She
found old people housed in a small room with beds where they had to stay
all day. They had no exercise and were very depressed. Her goal was to
"get them out of bed." To do so, she used her allowance to buy
an accordion. Several elderly men volunteered to play it and soon people
jumped out of bed to hear the music and sing. A few days later, an older
woman came to Ms. Paul complaining: "I'm angry with you, I have no
shoes-how can I dance?"
Later this program brought in young people to take care of the elderly.
They formed a theater group and eventually gave performances for the
community to keep the elderly active and healthy.
Abandonment of older persons is a second major issue. Old Croats were left
in their houses all alone. Serbs came to the village and burned the
houses, with the old people - most bedridden - in it. This was a war
crime. Many people who could pass on the culture were destroyed.
A third problem is that old people come last in times of war. Relief
workers do not consider them as a priority. Humanitarian Aid workers focus
mostly on children and women but not on older persons.
Also, it is very hard for elderly people to get food because they cannot
get to the front of the line. Young and strong people get the food and
health care first because they can physically demand it.
Often, older adults are the caregivers of the younger generation. They are
therefore a great resource to families and the community. Relief workers,
Ms. Paul asserted, should also take them into consideration.
Many older people caught in armed conflict have no medicine for chronic
conditions affecting them like heart disease, diabetes. There is a general
belief that because older people are about to die, they don't need
rehabilitation. For example, many relief and other camp officials don't
see the point of removing cataracts. However, this operation would allow
older people to see and function better and protect themselves in armed
conflict situation.
A fourth problem-the most important one-is that Humanitarian Aid workers
do not see older persons as leaders. In an armed conflict situation, a
community is divided by age, condition, race, etc. Traditional community
leaders are not consulted although they may well have more tolerance for
difference, more ways to forgive and more inventive approaches due to
their past experience and history. Older persons are also not seen as
potential candidates for micro-credit or tracing. They are said not to
have the capacity.
A fifth problem is how to manage the refugee camps and how to include
older people. Older persons are not seen as candidates for registering
refugees although, in reality, they know the community and families well
and could give considerable expertise to the registration process.
However, this is very important since all relief, including food, health
care and other services, flows through this "registration."
Older persons are the "invisible-vulnerable" population in armed
conflict situations. They are considered as useless and therefore no
special attention or protection is given to them.
Also some older people "opt out" of refugee camps in order to
stay on their land to preserve it for younger tribe and family members. In
a way, they sacrifice themselves for the preservation of their community.
Finally, it is even harder to survive in an armed conflict situation if
you are an older indigenous women.
Zaum Anoush Tertaulian, Armenian:
Ms. Tertulian lived six years in Artzak, a village in Mahora, where she
tried to gather materials about the Armenian genocide. She was personally
involved in this mission since her grandmother had been raped at 12 years
old during the Armenian genocide.
Ms Tertulian videotaped some reports regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict. She interviewed survivors and children of Artzak.
She recommends that women band together to overturn patriarchy and get
their land and culture back. Women should be spiritually involved in their
community.
She also believes that humanitarian aid relief workers should monitor who
gets what in armed conflict situation. She thinks that older women in
Armenia
did not receive a fare share of international help.
Today, conservative traditions still bind
Armenia
. In order to improve women's situation, a network of people that are
interested in the issue and that are willing to advocate should be
created.
Tiokasin Ghosthorse, WBAI program:
According to Mr.Ghosthorse, the heart of the indigenous problem lies in
the
United States
. Native American Indians are endangered species.
He gave the example of his own mother. She lives in FEMA housing on the
Lakota reservation. This area is in greater poverty than
Bangladesh
. Water is polluted because big corporations do not hesitate to dump their
pollutants on Indian land. The Lakota language is disappearing, erasing a
great amount of heritage and culture.
Most
First World
cultures throw away their elderly into nursing homes or abandon them.
However, among the Lakota, older persons are seen as the future. They are
the ones to pass on culture, language, and history. Lakota people do not
have a concept of death, their theme is "we will survive." That
is why language is key in understanding a culture.
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