Gideon Arinze in Enugu
A coalition of non-governmental organisations, (NGOs), Voice Elderly Community of Practice (CoP), have called on governments at all levels to urgently criminalise all forms of abuse against the elderly in Nigeria.
The NGOs also decried the failure to implement policies that provide for the rights and privileges of older persons in terms of healthcare, housing, economic benefits, and adequate standard of living.
They made the call yesterday in Enugu during a one-day workshop to unveil the research findings undertaken to assess the availability, accessibility, and efficiency of eldercare services across the country.
Speaking during the event, the Executive Director of DewDrop Foundation, Agatha Nnaji, said that it was worrying that despite existing policies, elders are often exposed to all forms of abuse both by their families and caregivers.
She explained that the National Senior Citizens Centre Act 2017 for instance provides for health insurance and costs for older persons, social safety assistance, and public healthcare services among others.
Nnaji said: “No public transportation system accommodates the elderly. They face a lot of abuse and they have no voice or anyone to speak for them, they cannot even complain because their caregivers will take it out on them.”
Speaking further, she said: “All of these must be rectified because everyone will get old, including the policymakers who are not making efforts to implement existing policies, so the best way to achieve this is to criminalise all forms of abuse against the elderly so that people will take it seriously.”
Nnaji said that there was also the need for the government to look into the establishment of old people’s homes where they can be adequately taken care of as many of them don’t live with their children and are often at the mercy of caregivers.
On her part, the Executive Director of the Pietan Caring Mission for the Poor, another NGO caring for the elderly, Mary Jude-Theresa, said that the workshop provided an opportunity for the NGOs to educate key stakeholders on eldercare practices and challenges, and push for collective action towards improving the well-being of the elderly in Nigeria.
She said: “It was a platform for them to share their experiences and provided input on where we can follow up and advocate for change because we want to amplify their voices so that the government can hear and create an enabling environment for them.”
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