WORLD
GERIATRICS DAY
OCTOBER,1
International
Day of the Older persons is being observed on October,1st each year.
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon says, "Older persons make wide-ranging
contributions to economic and social development. However, discrimination and
social exclusion persist. We must overcome this bias in order to ensure a
socially and economically active, secure and healthy ageing population."
The
day is similar to National Grandparents Day in the United States and Canada as
well as Double Ninth Festival in China and Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. UNO
announces annual theses each year for the day. For 2014, the theme is, “ Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All”
Changing Composition of Population :
The composition of world
population is changing dramatically. Between 1950 and 2010 life expectancy
worldwide rose from 46 to 68 years, and is likely to increase to 81 by the end
of the century. At present women outnumber men by 66 million among those
aged 60 years or over. Among those aged 80 years or over, women are nearly
twice as numerous as men, and among centenarians women are between four and
five times as numerous as men. For the first time in human history, in 2050,
there will be more persons over 60 than children in the world. Almost 700
million people are now over the age of 60.
New policies and programmes
Many Governments have
designed innovative policies in the health, social security or welfare systems
for the aged. Several policy framework documents, including national plans of
action on ageing have been enacted. Specific age-related legislative measures
in areas as varied as building codes, licensing and monitoring of care centres
and vocational training have also begun to emerge. All levels of government, from
local to national, have taken a share in this responsibility, and have either
created new institutions or renewed existing ones to seek ways of gradually
responding to the challenges faced by older persons.
Understanding Roles :
Some Governments have
designed policies founded on the principle of active ageing and autonomy, aimed
at facilitating the continuation of independent lives at home, with services
and facilities that cater for various types of needs. Others emphasize family
ties and support for the family unit as the primary source of care for older
persons. In all cases, a network of private actors, including various volunteer
organizations and community-based centres, are essential to the smooth
functioning of the entire system.
The different
circumstances that shape the lives of women and men in old age are the outcome
of a lifetime of experience. Good health, economic security, adequate housing,
an enabling environment, access to land or other productive resources, these
are the fundamentals of ageing with dignity, yet achieving them depends on
decisions and choices only partly determined by each individual. The impact of
gender inequalities in education and employment becomes most pronounced in old
age. As a result, older women are more likely than older men to be poor.
Furthermore, older women often take on greater responsibilities for family care
while managing inflexible working conditions, mandatory retirement ages and
inadequate pensions and other social security benefits, which leave them, and
those in their care, extremely vulnerable.
The
above details are largely taken from the UNO’s description of the measures being
taken at UN and member states level. Many measures are being taken for the aged
as per the Madrid convention.
In
India also, many welfare measures are taken for the aged persons both at Central
and State Governments’ levels. That apart, many Old age Homes are coming up in cities
and towns to care for those aged persons who , for some reason or other, are
not taken care of by their progeny. These Old age Homes need both adequate support
and monitoring. There should be
regulation and also assistance. The Good Samaritans who take the initiative to
set up such homes should not be harassed unnecessarily by Law enforcing
authorities, as it usually happens in many spheres of such private welfare
activities. But, at the same time, there should be adequate safeguards that
they really take care of the aged compassionately and do not misuse funds
received.
Everybody
ages. Everybody turns over 60. Everybody who lives beyond 60 goes on becoming
less and less healthy, less and less capable of taking care of himself and more
and more in need of physical and psychological help. What one single factor
that can ensure this is – respect and compassion for the aged in the minds of
the NOT-AGED. This can only be inculcated in the schools, by the teachers. But,
unfortunately, current curriculum is bereft of all such social motivation.
Consequently, respect and compassion for the aged is definitely on a downtrend
in India, even though, Indian tradition contained great respect for the aged.
In
India, traditionally, sons and Daughters-in-law together used to take care of the
parents. In most families, parents used to have more than 2 children, with sons
and daughters both, among the progeny. At least one son was preferred as he
only has to take care of the parents, not because he will save from some sort
of Hell, as popularly assumed. The daughter must integrate herself into the
husband’s family and adopt his parents as her own parents. The system worked
well.
But
the system degenerated due to various anomalies which crept into it. First, due
to population explosion and economic compulsions, most families are now having
one or two children only. Sometimes, the children may be either only 2 (or one)
male or only 2 (or one) female in a family. In such cases, the question arises
who should take care of the aged persons in each family. In some cases, the
parents without sons face problems. In some cases, the daughters manage to keep
out the parents-in-law and leave them to the lurch. Both are happening. Law and
Tradition both need to change to take care of the changing situations. The
present law and tradition are inadequate to tackle these changing social
situations.
Some
Laws we have made are good in intent but bad in practice, like the Laws on
dowry, domestic cruelty etc. These are good in intent. They are intended to
protect a daughter in law who is subjected to cruelty by her husband or his
family for the sake of dowry or other reasons. But, the changing economic and
physical independence of young women and changing moralities are creating
unacceptable situations in the implementation of this Law. Not only this, even
the practice of this law in ordinary situations envisaged in the laws is BAD. It
results nothing in good for either the daughter in law or the in-laws’ family
members.
The
idea of the Law must be to keep the family united and solve the problems of (a)
the dowry or domestic abuse if real or (b) the false and motivated complaints by the
daughter-in-law, as is happening in many cases. Both must be addressed. In some
cases, the daughter in law is well employed in a foreign country and falsely alleges
harassment by parents in law, sisters-in-law etc who are residing in some
village or town in India. Many such varied situations have been seen in recent
past. But, Indian law is such that, our Police put the aged parents in law
behind bars immediately. They don’t even get bail and suffer untold misery in
the hands of the Law.
All
of our Indian Laws are actually paranoid on putting any and every accused
behind bars the moment a complaint against them comes up. In most cases, there
is absolutely no need for custody or interrogation of the accused by Police at
all. What is needed is scientific Investigation, and quick trial in the court which
are absent. In most cases, the state achieves absolutely nothing by the custody
of most of the accused.
We
have seen that in many cases, the accused are completely acquitted much later;
But, who can compensate them for the custodial misery and torture that they underwent?
Most of our laws need change in this respect. Police Custody must have adequate
grounds. A mere complaint by a daughter in law must not be considered enough ground
to jail a 70 year old person. These are bad laws, badly made and badly
implemented. Dowry menace has to be taken care of. But, Indian Police is just not the right
institution to do that. A more imaginative and humane institution like the
family court only must investigate such complaints.
Else,
a Son’s marriage, especially a love marriage, is bound to send his parents into
jittery and not into Joy, over the prospect of an unknown daughter in law, some
time later falling out of love and sending them to Jail on a false complaint!!
Laws
must change; People must change. We must create a society in which children,
youth, middle aged and the old aged are all safe and protected till they
breathe their last.
* *
* E N
D * * *
No comments:
Post a Comment