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Elder Rights : World
Archives : 1994 - 2000
A Primer on the Women's International
War Crimes Tribunal (December 8-12, 2000)
This document presents important information about the Women's
International War Crimes Tribunal in Tokyo, Japan.
Women's International War Crimes
Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery (December 8-12, 2000)
An NGO attempt to restore justice for victimized women and to prevent
future wartime violence against women.
Elderly object to TV stereotypes
(November 27, 2000)
Age Concern, an advocacy
organization in the UK, says that most elderly are fed up with television
because they feel under-represented on screen. Forty per cent of adults,
rising to 50 per cent of over-65s, want more elderly on TV. The Daily
Telegraph reports.
Cruelty to elderly patients allowed by managers
(November 16, 2000)
This article, published in The Times, reports the atrocities
perpetuated by a nursing home's staff on old people. At Garlands Hospital
in Carlisle, despite that a series of cruel practices and management
failure was discovered, the staff do not acknowledge that these practices
were intolerable.
Le petit prince et sa cour d'ancêtres
(November 11, 2000)
(in French) This article, extracted from Libération, shows that
Italy will be the oldest country in the world. Indeed, in 2047, 18
millions of Italians will be 65 years and more. At the same time, only 2,5
million are under 10 years old. This situation will have important effects
on demography and the economy, but also will have cultural, social and
psychological consequences. The elderly’s place and esteem in the
society will diminish rapidly, the author suggests, as the younger’s one
will be more and more highly valued. He asks if older persons will face
widespread abandonment, much as unwanted children did during the last
seven centuries.
Needy Get Some Mercy (October 26, 2000)
Mercy Campaign, a government –sponsored relief program will reach out to
Ukraine’s elderly to ease the burden of winter. This program is funded
through private donations supplemented by government support. It sends
food, clothing, medicine and other necessities to senior citizens who are
classified as city’s most needy residents. Officials estimate that there
are about 3 million elderly in Ukraine who either not capable of taking
care of themselves or in need of financial support to survive.
Elderly Kyiv woman fights to save
apartment (October 12, 2000)
A story, found in Kyiv Post news (kpnews.com) is about an elderly
Ukrainian woman, Nina Shevchenko, whose own kindness led to homelessness.
Being cheated by two Belarusian women to sign documents, she gave her
apartment to criminals. Such incidents are becoming common in Kyiv,
according to local papers. Kyiv city court, where Shevchenko applied for
defense, however, is not in a hurry to process the case. The matter has
been delayed six times, and she hardly believes that she would get
justice.
Grey Into Gold (October 12, 2000)
The Chinese now have more opportunities for retirement homes. These
opportunities were unthinkable a generation ago, because tradition
required that the children take care for ageing parents at their own home.
With the decline in filial piety, the author argues that Chinese could
choose to go into a state or private retirement home instead of living
with their families. But old prejudices still exist. Many old people do
not want to move to a retirement home, because it does not conform to
Chinese traditions. Far Eastern Economic Review reports.
Gray of Japan: Choju Shakai (Summer-Fall
2000)
Sue E. Levkoff analyses the “graying of Japan” in terms of
demographic, elderly care, elder housing, community-based health service
and retirement in this article. She points out the essential aspects of
the current graying of Japan, which is changing traditional values aging,
and a re-definition of the meaning of “old.”
Moving beyond respect for the Aged
(September 15, 2000)
This Yomiuri Shimbun Daily article describes how older people play
a significant role in Japanese rural communities and in society in
general.
In the Serenity of Old Age, He
Gains a Moral Splendor (September 1, 2000)
An intriguing article from The New York Times which invites
Japanese cinema enthusiasts to follow the sentimental story of a retired
teacher and his devoted former students.
Charter for the Women's
International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan Military Sexual Slavery (July
30, 2000)
This document presents the legal measures of the Charter for the Women's
international War Crimes Tribunal on Japan Military Sexual Slavery.
Tell me the old, old story (July 23, 2000)
Human resource managers and employers interviewed in The Observer
openly admitted that it is very difficult for older people to find
employment.
Elderly should be visited every day (July
13, 2000)
According to Paddy O'Brien, an Irish voluntary social worker, older
persons are often ignored and abandoned. He said that 500 000 elderly are
left alone in Ireland. he urged the creation of special committees of
people to visit the elderly daily. He also called the organization of
weekly social outings and Christmas parties. The Irish Examiner
reports.
Task Force gets £8m to cover services for the
elderly (June 2, 2000)
Irish Housing Minister Molloy has allocated £8m to cover the cost of
heating services to elderly. These services are basic repairs and
improvements to the houses of elderly people living alone. In the same
time, the article notes the fact that the number of Irish people aged 65
or more will double in 30 years. The Irish Examiner reports.
Older women suffer most domestic abuse (May
30, 2000)
This article from The Times which reports on an English study
called "the Needs of Older Women", conveys that domestic
violence against women can worsen with age.
Unrest grows in
China’s old state plants (May 17, 2002)
Up to 2,000 unpaid workers and retirees have besieged their factory and
government offices in a northeastern city over the last two days, the
latest example of growing labor unrest as China’s once-dominant state
industries collapse. The protesters ask to get their current
and past wages, pensions and living stipends for laid-off workers.
Retirement (April 25, 2000)
This article, published in The Guardian, answers the questions
which may arise regarding retirement, pensions, and generally old people
rights.
Human
Rights and War (January 28, 2000)
Here is series of
articles with examples of human rights violation in Chechnya war, with
description of great impact
on the most vulnerable population – old people , women and children
Do Old Men Smell? (March 14, 2000)
This article, extracted from The New York Times, illustrates
the ordinary ageism in the Japanese society.
ILO's Social Security Department
The International Labor Organization provides information on their social
security department and the range of services they provide to their
constituents.
Refugees (December 20, 1999)
Sergei Shoigu
dismissed talk of refugees
condition in Russian-occupied
parts of Chechnya as a “humanitarian catastrophe” Mr
Shoigu said 89 residents of an old people's home in Grozny had been
brought safely to Mozdok in northern Ossetia.
But he admitted: "Unfortunately, a further 12 old people have died
there in the last few days from cold and hunger."
State System of the Social Service of the
Elderly (1999)
In the Soviet period the information on the state of affairs about the
least protected groups of citizens was «closed» and never published.
Moreover, while women’s and children’s problems were mentioned now and
then, troubles of the elderly were treated as if they had never existed.
This article, published in Social- Educational Magazine, 1999 discusses
the issues of State system of the social service of the elderly since 80s
until nowadays.
Campaign to halt ageism in NHS (November 8,
1999)
The British Health Care system discriminates against older people at
all levels of the service. An Age Concern campaign to halt ageism in the
service was organized calling on the Government to outlaw such
discrimination with new legislation. The Daily Telegraph reports.
Nato 'hit old people's home' (May 31, 1999)
Nato planes have hit an old people's home at a sanatorium in south-eastern
Serbia killing at least 11 people, according to the Yugoslav media
La retraite à 70 ans? (March 11, 1999)
(in French) This article from L'Express describes how French
Companies
will have to adjust to the demographic changes in the workplace.
A Glass Of Water from the Country (January
13, 1999) (in Russian)
On question "What are you afraid of," most people would answer
"Getting Old and Being Lonely." This articel, published in
Chastnaya Jizn', discusses the social home-care of Minsk (Belarus),
organized by the Government. Today there are 3139 elderly who are in need
of home care. More than 2000 of them are handicapped pensioners.
UK Government Launches Major Attack on Ageism
(November 17, 1998)
The UK Government has launched several measures to fight discrimination
against the elderly. The Blair Administration has published a voluntary
code of practice, which hopes to persuade employers to hire on the basis
of ability, not age. The Employers Forum on Age claims that age
discrimination was costing 26 billion pounds a year through the failure to
utilize the skills of older workers. Global Action on Aging wonders if a
code can be effective against such pervasive discrimination. The New
York Times reports.
In China, 35 + and Female = Unemployable (October
13, 1998)
This article, extracted from The New York Times, describes the
terrible employment situation of women in China.
La pitié dangereuse (September 1, 1998)
This article, extracted from Libération shows the point of
view of a French former minister and medical doctor who is against
euthanasia. According to him, mercy killings allow people to avoid
thinking about suffering and solitude in a society in which pleasure and
happiness are the standards of living. Aging
in Cuba:Realities and challenges (April-June 1998)
This article by two Cuban specialists gives you
an idea what aging means in Cuba. The Cuban population has aged over the
last four decades, this has occurred despite the reduction of
mortality, and is due instead to lower birth rates. During the first half
of the 20th Century, this increase in the proportion of older
people was small (from 4.6% in 1899 to 6.9% in 1953). However, from 1990,
the aging of the population has intensified, so that by 1998, older
people constituted 13.6% of the Cuban population. But the elderly in Cuba
have not enjoyed the same levels of nutrition, availability of
medications, housing conditions, home support services as for example the
elderly in more wealthy occidental countries.
Despite
the US imposed difficulties on importing drugs and other items, Cubans
have managed to live to an old age.
Note on resettlement of
refugees with special needs (UNHCR) (May 25, 1998)
In emergency situations, older people leave their homes to save their
lives and personal security. While
resettlement and its uncertainty are difficult at any age, it is
particularly hard on vulnerable elderly.
Remarks by Mrs. Sadako Ogata,
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the occasion of the
International Days of Older Persons (3 October, 1997)
This article represents the remarks by Mrs Sadako Ogata, the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on the occasion of the International
Day of Older Persons. It highlights the most invisible and displaced group
of refugees- elderly people. Dozens of elderly women in black with empty
staring from Bosnia, elderly with malnutrition in Rwanda, money less older
refugees from Nagorno Karabakh are examples. Although she did Although
Mrs. Ogata made these remarks in 1998 , they deserve to be reviewed as
critical emerging displacement continues across the globe.
The Determinants and Implications
of an Aging Population in Russia, (1996)
This paper rate of growth and changes in the age structure of the Russian
population. Shifts in population and subpopulation growth rates, as well
as waves in the population age structure, can be traced to the
reverberating effects of several demographic crises in Russia in this
century. Fertility has had the most prominent influence on Russia’s
population structure. Because of low fertility more than 10 percent of the
Russian population is elderly and the share of elderly will keep grow.
ILO and Cost of Social Security 1994-1996
The International Labor Organization gives a statistical analysis about
the cost of social security for the years of 1994-1996 in the U.S. The
analysis highlights social protection benefits, administrative cost, and
transfers to reserves for the aging population. The most extensive
research centers on social protection benefits, which is divided into
different groups: old age, survivors, invalidity benefits, employment
injury, sickness and health, family benefits, unemployment, housing,
social assistance and funding.
Local authority services for the elderly
(October 1995)
Here is a picture of housing and other services offered to the elderly by
different types of local authorities. This survey was started in 1995 and
included a systematic investigation of whether there are differences
between urban and rural councils and whether there are differences between
Eastern and Western Denmark.
Capitalist Crimes: Swindlers Prey on Elderly Tenants
of Prized Apartments (January 10, 1994)
This paper, published in Maclean’s, discusses the right of
tenants to buy apartments that they rented from the state during the
communist era. This development is fuelling Moscow’s current real estate
boom and accompanying crimes ranging from fraud to murder. The victims are
elderly tenants.
ILO's R162 Older Workers Recommendation, 1980
This document, provided by the International Labor Organization, presents
a recommendation concerning older workers. It was adopted in Geneva in
1980 and focuses on a set of suggestions to minimize discrimination and
inequality among the aging community.
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