2018 is the Year for the Promotion and Protection of the Human Rights of Older People

In April, the government declared that 2018 should be the Year for the Promotion and Protection of the Human Rights of Older People. This date was chosen to mark Brazil’s ratification of the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons.

Furthermore, 2018 is also the year in which the Statute of the Elderly celebrates 15 years of existence and achievements, which further reinforces our commitment to dedicating this year to the cause of older people.

Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons

This Convention was adopted by the member states of the OAS (Organisation of American States) in June 2015, with Brazil being the first a signatory alongside Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay. Its adoption was extremely important, as it shed light on this issue and madeit the focus of public policies aimed at improving the quality of life of this population.

The OAS has established, as the objective of this Convention, “to promote, protect and ensure the recognition and full enjoyment and exercise, on an equal footing, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of older people, in order to contribute to their full inclusion, integration and participation in society.” By ratifying it, Brazil confirms its agreement with this objective and with the rights and duties set out in the document.

O Year of Older People

In terms of practical, the designation of 2018 as the Year for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights for Older People means that, throughout the year, the government will have to carry out a series of initiatives to promote the well-being of older people and raise public awareness of their situation and rights.

Dr Stella Reicher, a human rights specialist and partner at the law firm Szazi Bechara Storto Rosa Figueiredo Lopes Advogados, a partner of the British Foundation, says that "the creation of new legal instruments aimed at recognising and reaffirming rights takes place when existing measures prove insufficient to ensure the necessary protection for certain social groups. This is the case with the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons. The fact that 2018 having been designated as the Year of the Elderly reflects the commitments made by Brazil on the international stage, calling for the adoption of measures aimed at recognising and safeguarding the rights of older people".

We at the Foundation believe that this type of initiative is essential to raise public awareness of the problems faced by older people and to ensure that the cause of the elderly is becoming increasingly important, an essential step for a country whose population is ageing at an ever-increasing rate.

The full text of the Act is set out below:

Establishes the Year for the Promotion and Defence of the Human Rights of Older Persons, in accordance with the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC I hereby give notice that the National Congress has enacted and I have sanctioned the following Act:

Article 1 The year 2018 is hereby designated as the Year for the Promotion and Defence of the Human Rights of Older Persons, in accordance with the process of ratification by Brazil of the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons.

Sole paragraph. During the Year for the Promotion and Defence of the Human Rights of Older Persons, the following actions shall be undertaken:

I – organising lectures and events on the subject;

II – publicising the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons through educational material and advertising campaigns;

III – joint coordination with public administration bodies, the Legislative Branch and the Judiciary to encourage actions to promote the elderly, within the scope of their respective competences;

IV – other measures aimed at informing and raising awareness amongst the population regarding the rights of the elderly.

Article 2 This Act shall come into force on the date of its publication.

Brasília, 9 April 2018; the 197th year of Independence and the 130th year of the Republic.

Source:  Planalto Portal