INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 1The National Human Rights Commission has urged the Government of Nepal, provincial governments,
local levels, political parties, non-governmental organisations and all stakeholders to effectively act on the national and international
laws related to senior citizens to ensure all kinds of services, including health service, to them.
guarantee senior citizens' rights
Government committed to bringing those
responsible for grave human rights violations to justice: PM Dahal
On the occasion of the International Day for Older People, the rights body stressed the need to punish those who abuse
senior citizens and to respect the knowledge, skills and experiences of senior citizens, in addition to protecting and promoting their
rights.The Day was celebrated with the slogan 'Fulfilling the promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Person: Across
Generation.' It is estimated that there are 760 million people over the age of 60 in the world
According to recent data of National Census, the population of senior citizens in Nepal is 2,977,318
The global population of senior citi-zens is projected to increase up to two billion by 2050 due to improvement in average life expectancy.
The increase in the average life expectancy of senior citizens is positive
However, the problems facing senior citizens have emerged as a challenge.According to the NHRC, many senior citizens are becoming isolated
in Nepal due to their caretakers going abroad for employment, nuclear family system and yawning inter-generational gap
Similarly, incidents of abuse of senior citizens are increasing
Likewise, there is no respect and protection for senior citizens from the family, society and the state.It is worrisome that the incidents
of senior people being confined to old age homes without proper care from the responsible family members are increasing with each passing
day, the NHRC warned.Similarly, lack of implementation of provisions such as social security allowance, health insurance, health treatment
discount facility, transport discount facility and provision of reservation seats in public transport have posed more challenges.A version
of this article appears in the print on October 2, 2023, of The Himalayan Times
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com