Kavita Chetty, legal officer at the Scottish Human Rights Commission, has addressed a major United Nations meeting in New York on the human rights of older people.
The first session of the open-ended working group on strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons (
link) heard about the Care about Rights training project developed by the Commission, which has been rolled out across Scotland.
Care about Rights, which uses practical examples of human rights in
care settings has been delivered to several hundred care and support sector workers, as well as older people’s campaign and advocacy groups, and highlights the need to recognise and respect the human rights of older people in every day situations.
The UN working group meeting also heard from other experts on the existing international human rights framework for older persons and seeks to identify possible gaps and how best to address them. It is likely that part of the discussion will focus on whether a new international treaty or other measures for the rights of older people are
needed. Some campaigners want to see the same focus of human rights protection for older people as already exists for women, children and disabled people through Conventions which have been ratified by governments including the UK.
Kavita Chetty said: “This was an exciting opportunity to tell the international community about the experience of promoting the human rights of older people in Scotland. The meeting brought together delegates from all over the world who are working to secure more recognition and respect for the human rights of older people.
“Care about Rights has been very well received by older people and the care and support sector in Scotland and we were delighted to have the chance to share this project with international delegates.”
Also addressing the UN meeting were the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights, the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the Arab League.
No comments:
Post a Comment