Support regulations for therights of the elderly - Sosu urges parliamentarians
Medina Member of Parliament,Francis-Xavier Sosu urged parliamentarians to approvethe Protocol on the Rights of thelder Persons in Ghana.
The MP of Madina said in a statement released by his office "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are1 billion people in the world aged 60 and over in 2020. By2030, this number is expected to reach 1.4 billion people, including 1 in 6 people aged 60 and over.
In addition, by 2050, it is expected that the populationaged 60 and over will reach 2.1 billion people, 80% of whom livein low- and middle-income countries. For us in Africa, even though we have the smallest elderly population of any region in the world, with adults aged 60 and over making up 74.4 million and 5.6% in 2020, it is expected that the elderly will triple to 235.1 million by 2050, an increase of 216%, exceeding the rate of growth of the elderly in other regions.
The effect of this is that within30 years, it is expected that the number of African countries with more than one million elderly people will increase to 36, and seven of these will have at least one million people. ten. For Ghana, adults aged 65 years and above accounted for 4.4% of the population in the recent 2021 census, but this is expected to increase to about 12% by 2050. .
Over the years, the elderly in Ghana and across Africa have faced treatment and behavior(ageist) which has resulted in discrimination, exclusion and restrictions on their legal rights, freedom and independence, among others - conditions that have affected their right to life. , respect and violateinternational agreements such as the International Covenanton Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)and the International Convention against Torture and Other Inhuman and Degrading Treatment . “As you know, I believe in the power and rightsof the people, especially the powerless in Ghana. In fact, it is this belief that led me to introduce ten (10) private members' bills in the Parliament of Ghana, including a bill to amend the Criminal and Other Offenses Act 1960 (Act 29) to prohibit anyone who actsas witchcraft. . a doctor or investigator of witchcraft; prohibit the declaration, accusation, designation ornaming of another person as a witch; and for related matters - an event or practice prevalent in northern Ghana.
"It is for the above reasons that I urge the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana to ratify the Protocol on Rights of Human and People's African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights to protect the rights of those who are not power and to ensure that the disenfranchised.achieve anopen, progressive, inclusive and secure society in our lifetime.
Adopted in January 2016, the Protocol on the Rights of the Old People is the result of many years of deliberation and reaffirms the commitments made by African countries in the 2002 African Union Policy Framework and Plan of Action. and aging. The Protocol will help hold governments accountable for their actions to protect the rights of older people and create continental minimum protection standardsfor older people for all member states.
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