Challenges to the autonomy and interdependent rights of older persons

Challenges to the autonomy and interdependent rights of older persons
Foreword Capítulo I
However, this progress is still too little.
Eliminating discrimination against older people is still an unfulfilled aim. Age-based
discrimination can be seen in differentiated treatment, the denial of rights or the use
of stereotypical or degrading images of this social group and of its members.
Although the international community has explicitly recognized that age discrimination
must be eradicated, a socially negative image of ageing and older people persists.
This is partly due to the fact that the changing age structure of the population has not
been accompanied by a shift in hegemonic concepts and relations. Ageing is often
associated with situations of dependency, deprivation or other socially “dysfunctional”
circumstances, which can reinforce negative perceptions of older people. True though
it may be that old age brings with it disadvantages or losses, focusing on these alone
often masks the existence of a healthy, experienced and knowledgeable population.
Age-discriminatory attitudes and practices are not only unfair; they also represent
a waste of resources. Socially constructed obstacles must be eliminated in order to
guarantee full respect for the dignity and equal rights of all. The right policies and
attitudes in this regard will help society to make effective use of older persons’ potential.
Meanwhile, in the region —and worldwide—, families still tend to be the main
source of security and protection for older persons, particularly in the absence of formal
mechanisms. The State must support these roles through different mechanisms that
build families’ capacities to decide how to best to provide care for their older members.
Strategies are needed to rethink care as something valuable and productive, a key
step in ensuring that caregivers receive the recognition they deserve and the support
they need to do their work without it infringing their rights and dignity.
In short, each country of the region has its own particular concerns, but a general
assessment reveals that many share similar issues. While the measures adopted to
address these are country-specific, certain general guidelines should steer work in
this area in the coming years. As noted in this report, it is time to put into practice the
different approaches to addressing the problems that older people encounter in relation
to the exercise of their rights, bearing in mind the lessons learned from experiences
of other parts of the world or with respect to other social groups.
The topics covered in this document were chosen on the basis of the outcomes
of the work undertaken by ECLAC in the countries of the region. It does not analyse
all the issues being discussed on the regional agenda today, but covers the most
pressing ones. While there is undoubtedly a long road ahead, now, unlike some years
ago, a legally binding instrument exists to support governments’ efforts to improve
the situation of older persons.
ECLAC will continue to support the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean
in establishing mechanisms to implement the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the
Human Rights of Older Persons and. It will also continue —as mandated by the countries
of the region— to call for a United Nations instrument that provides similar protections.
In the meantime, the Fourth Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing
and the Rights of Older Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean will help to elevate
and broaden the scope of the regional debate to promote an interdependent society,
where everyone has a place and human dignity is fully respected.
Alicia Bárcena
Executive Secretary
Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
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