Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: - HelpAge International

Chapter 2: A fresh look at evidence – Age-friendly environments
“When asked about their rights, older people seemed
not to understand them. The only right they mentioned
was to be respected by the youth.” Tanzania
“We do not know what our human rights are, or what
the Constitution is.” Paraguay
“We do not even know what our rights are!” Bosnia and
Herzegovina
“All of us are members of some older people’s clubs, but
we have never heard about the 2002 Madrid Plan.” Chile
“So many times, my rights were violated – in the bus,
drugstores, hospitals, groceries. I was not able to enjoy a
discount just because I forgot my senior citizens’ ID card.”
Philippines
“There are particular policies and laws for women and
children, and even rights for disabled people, but the
Government never thinks about older persons. There are
no laws or policies in our country to protect our rights.”
Bangladesh
“The case for rights of older people is not accepted yet
and therefore we need to rethink our approach – that
older people need rights.” Ireland
“There needs to be an older people’s representative in
the administration to address the rights of older people.”
Kenya
Towards human rights of older
persons in Latin America and the
Caribbean
The San José Charter on the Rights of Older Persons, the
final outcome of the 2012 Regional Intergovernmental
Conference on Ageing in Latin America and the
Caribbean, reaffirms the commitment to spare no
effort to promote and protect the human rights and
fundamental freedoms of all older people, to work to
eradicate all forms of discrimination and violence and
to create networks for the protection of older people
with a view to the effective exercise of their rights.
Governments supported “the work of the Open-ended
Working Group on Ageing and urge it to consider the
feasibility of an international convention on the rights
of older persons, and support the Working Group on
Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons of the
Organization of American States so that it can make
progress in developing an inter-American convention”.
Source: San José Charter on the rights of older persons in Latin America
and the Caribbean, May 2012. Available from www.eclac.cl/celade/noticias/
paginas/9/44929/CR_Carta_ENG.pdf
Ageing in the media
“Images of older persons as attractive, diverse and creative
individuals making vital contributions should compete for
the public’s attention.” (Madrid Plan, para. 112)
Population ageing is a significant success story, yet
“a pervasive negative portrayal of ageing is contributing
a slow and inadequate response to the challenges and
a lack of understanding of opportunities”. 303 A positive
image of ageing and older persons is a central element
of the Madrid Plan. 304 The successful achievement of its
objectives depends in large part on each society’s
attitudes towards ageing and older persons – the more
positive these attitudes, the easier the task will be.
Policymakers are more likely to frame policies and vote
resources for older persons if they themselves view older
persons in a positive light.
Studies of the representation of older people in the
media suggest that they are under-represented, and
often portrayed inaccurately or stereotypically.
For example, an article in the journal Ageing and Society
in 2004 found that: “Older people were heavily underrepresented,
especially women and those of advanced
old age. Older women and men were portrayed in
traditional gender roles.” 305
A more recent study of perceptions of people of different
ages in the United Kingdom, commissioned by the
British Broadcasting Corporation as chair of the Creative
Diversity Network, 306 shows that negative images of
older people are felt to revolve around their perceived
physical, social and mental incapacity, a reluctance to
move with the times, and a tendency to complain.
Their portrayal can also be seen as mocking in tone,
occasionally insulting, and sometimes reliant upon
outdated stereotypes. However, it was acknowledged
that there are some positive images, which stress older
people’s wisdom, expertise and experience, making
them effective role models. The limited representation
of middle-aged and older women on television was
a key concern across all age groups.
A notable category of media coverage of old age is the
type of story in which a particular older individual is
presented as a praiseworthy deviation from the norm.
Examples can be found in the archives of Global Action
on Aging, a non-profit organization that collects media
coverage of ageing issues. They include a story from
China headlined, “An 82-year-old man volunteered
to pave a road,” 307 and a story from the United States
entitled, “At 89, she steps lively in the name of
volunteering.” 308 While appearing to be positive images
of ageing, these stories rely on an assumption that the
majority of older people are the opposite of the
individuals featured.
102 Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and A Challenge