GCC states call for strict penalties against violators of the rights of the elderly

Geneva: GCC states acknowledged the report by the Independent Expert on the Human Rights of Older Persons, which addressed critical issues concerning...

Geneva: GCC states acknowledged the report by the Independent Expert on the Human Rights of Older Persons, which addressed critical issues concerning the legal capacity of the elderly and how to ensure their rights.

This was highlighted in a statement delivered by HE Dr. Hend Abdulrahman Al Muftah, who is Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, on behalf of the GCC, as the groups chair, during the interactive dialogue on the Independent Experts report as part of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

In the statement, Dr. Al Muftah emphasized the importance of ensuring more precise oversight and clearer, more comprehensive standards to guarantee informed consent for older persons. She stressed the need to prevent erroneous conclusions about their incapacity, which could have severe implications for their financial and legal rights and further increase their vulnerability within healthcare frameworks.

The GCC states expressed regret over the examples cited in the report that document the many forms of abuse faced by the elderly and reaffirmed their total rejection of all forms of exploitation and discrimination against them. They called for stricter penalties against perpetrators of such abuses and urged international cooperation to enhance the protection and safeguarding of this vulnerable group.

The GCC states also noted that all national or collective laws and legislation, including the GCC Human Rights Declaration, focus on protecting and ensuring the rights of older persons. They emphasized that this group is seen as a priority, with well-established rights under the law, in line with the customs and values of Gulf societies, which hold the elderly in high esteem.