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Afghanistan:
Red Cross Makes Special Case for the Elderly
Relief Web, October 2, 2001 ISLAMABAD - Older Afghans inside and outside their country could suffer most in the continuing displacement and refugee crisis there, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Federation warned on Monday - International Day for Older Persons. After 20 years of violent conflict, three years of drought and widespread population displacement - exacerbated in the past few weeks by the fear of an American attack on terrorist targets in the country, following the 11 September suicide atrocities in the US - there is now a potential catastrophe in the making in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations. Elderly people who were displaced or forced to flee the country as refugees were at risk of malnutrition and illness, as well as exposure to harsh climatic conditions, the Red Cross and Red Crescent warned on Monday. Emergency Health Coordinator Dr Hakan Sandbladh said the organisation was very concerned that the onset of winter, often harsh in Afghanistan, combined with the trauma of displacement, could have a very severe impact. The Federation had not been able to carry out normal replenishment of stocks in 48 Red Crescent Society clinics inside Afghanistan, on which many elderly now on the move would depend for basic medicines, a health and care officer, Jennifer Inger, said. This was now being taken into account in the pre-positioning of emergency medical supplies taking place in response to the present crisis in the region, she added. "It may not be necessary to provide special services for older people in emergency situations, but it is necessary to ensure that they have access to aid and support services which are available for the rest of the population, and that they are not isolated," Inger stated. In situations where communities were displaced, she said, older people could provide a valuable sense of continuity, culture and history, which could help displaced groups maintain their sense of identity and preserve the cohesion of their community. "This is very important, particularly in a context like Afghanistan, where grandparents are an integral part of the family structure," she added. The Red Cross Red and Crescent also insisted that older people must be consulted on and involved in the delivery of humanitarian assistance - not just in emergencies, but also in longer-term development programmes. The elderly in society have a productive role to play in many humanitarian crises, perhaps exemplified by grandparents looking after millions of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, it added. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also marked International Day of Older Persons on Monday, stating that attitudes to ageing must evolve, and ageing people must be better integrated into the larger context of development. "All of us must recognise how trends such as globalisation, urbanisation and migration, as well as health crises such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, affect the place of older persons in society, he said. "Older people must be able to participate fully in the decisions affecting their lives."
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