Id-drittijiet tal-bniedem ma jirtirawx fl-anzjanità!

Hekk kif id-Dikjarazzjoni Universali tad-Drittijiet tal-Bniedem qed tfakkar is-70 anniversarju mit-tnedija tagħha, il-provvedimenti tagħha ma jiskadu qatt. Fl-okkażjoni ta’ Jum id-Drittijiet  tal-Bniedem, AGE Platform Europe tfakkar li kull bniedem għad għandu l-istess drittijiet, illum u dejjem. L-organizzazzjoni qed tisfrutta din l-okkażjoni sabiex tniedi l-verżjoni sħiħa tal-Older Persons self-advocacy handbook li jtejjeb  il-qagħda tal-anzjani sabiex jifhmu aħjar id-drittijiet tagħhom u jsarrfuhom.

Addottata fl-10 ta’ Diċembru 1948 mill-Assemblea Ġenerali tan-Nazzjonijiet Uniti, id-Dikjarazzjoni Universali hi waħda mill-aktar dokumenti influwenti fid-dinja. Id-Dikjarazzjoni Universali ġiet tradotta f’aktar  minn 500 lingwa u ispirat dokumenti reġjonali u  nazzjonali dwar id-drittijiet  tal-bniedem, fosthom il-Konvenzjoni Ewropea tad-Drittijiet tal-Bniedem. Sabiex tfakkar dan l-anniversarju, in-Nazzjonijiet Uniti qed tniedi kampanja ta’ sena sabiex tafferma  mill-ġdid ir-rilevanza dejjiema u s-saħħa tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem.

“Bħalma d-Dikjarazzjoni  Universali ma tilfitx is-sinifikat  tagħha minkejja li laħqet is-70 anniversarju, irridu nfakkru lilna nfusna li d-drittijiet  tagħna ma jintilfux  meta nixjieħu”, saħqet Anne-Sophie Parent, Segretarju Ġenerali.

Id-Dikjarazzjoni Universali tipproklama li lkoll kemm aħna mwielda ħielsa u ugwali b’dinjita’ u bid-drittijiet. Madankollu, xi kultant donnu ninsew li għandna l-istess drittijiet fl-anzjanita’. B’riżultat ta’ dan, il-pajjiżi jinjoraw dmirhom sabiex  jassiguraw il-kundizzjonijiet li jippermettu lill-anzjani sabiex jeżerċitaw id-dinjita’ u l-ugwaljanza tagħhom. Filwaqt li nfallu milli nirrikonoxxu r-rilevanza tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem fl-anzjanita’, ma nitkellmux meta l-anzjani jkunu mwarrbin, iddiskriminati jew abbużati.

Sabiex  l-anzjani  jkunu megħjuna biex jaqbżu għal drittijiethom, AGE Platform Europe nediet l-aħħar parti tas-self-advocacy handbook, għodda li tinkiseb  online u li timmira sabiex tgħin lill-anzjani jieħdu azzjoni biex iħarsu d-drittijiet tagħhom fil-ħajja ta’ kuljum. Bi tliet sezzjonijiet separati dwar in-Nazzjonijiet Uniti, il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa u l-Unjoni Ewropea, il-handbook jispjega mezzi konkreti dwar kif nistgħu nsaħħu drittijietna fl-anzjanita’  u nwasslu bidla pożittiva.

L-aħħar kapitlu tal-handbook jiffoka fuq il-mekkaniżmi tal-UE li jgħinu  biex jagħtu appoġġ lid-drittijiet tal-anzjani fi ħdan l-Unjoni u fir-relazzjonijiet ma’ terzi pajjiżi. Il-Kummissarju Jourova, fil-kummenti tagħha dwar  din il-pubblikazzjoni online stqarret: “Din il-pubblikazzjoni turi kemm l-Unjoni Ewropea hi rilevanti   għall-ħajja ta’ kuljum taċ-ċittadini tagħna ikbar fl-eta’ u kif il-Liġi tal-UE u l-istrumenti tagħha jgħinu sabiex jippromwovu d-drittijiet tal-anzjani fil-livelli kollha tal-governanza,  anki lil hinn mill-fruntieri tagħna. Il-pubblikazzjoni tista’ tintuża bħala  manwal mill-qarrejja li sempliċiment iridu jifhmu aħjar id-drittijiet tagħhom. Jista’ wkoll ikun għodda prattika għal min hu attiv biex jissalvagwardja u jippromwovi d-drittijiet tal-anzjani jew irid isir aktar involut fihom”.

“Il-handbook ta’ AGE u s-sejħa tagħna għal  konvenzjoni ġdida tan-NU sabiex tafferma  mill-ġdid ir-rilevanza tal-prinċipji tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem fl-anzjanita’, jgħinuna biex naqbżu aktar għad-drittijiet tagħna u tal-oħrajn,” ikkonkludiet is-Sinura Parent.

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Human rights do not retire in older age!

As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is close to turning 70, its provisions are far from being outdated. On the occasion of the Human Rights Day, AGE Platform Europe reminds that every human being has the same inherent and inalienable rights now and always. We also seize the momentum of the Day to launch the full version of our online ‘Older Persons self-advocacy handbook’, which empowers older people to better know their human rights and to claim them.

Adopted on 10th December 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the most influential documents in the world. The Universal Declaration has been translated in more than 500 languages and has inspired regional and national human rights documents, including the European Convention on Human Rights.
To mark this anniversary the United Nation (UN) is launching a yearlong campaign to reaffirm the enduring relevance and power of human rights.

“Just like the Universal Declaration has not lost its significance despite reaching its 70^th anniversary, we need to remind ourselves that our human rights do not diminish as we get older”, stressed Anne-Sophie Parent, Secretary General.

The Universal Declaration proclaims that we are all born free and equal in dignity and in rights. However, we often tend to forget that we have the same rights in older age. As a result, States ignore their duty to ensure conditions that enable older people to exercise their dignity and equality. Because we fail to recognize the relevance of human rights in older age, we don’t speak up when older people are neglected, discriminated or abused.

To help older people stand up for their human rights, AGE Platform Europe is launching today the last part of its self-advocacy handbook, an online toolkit that aims to empower older people to take action to protect their human rights in their daily lives.  Including three separate sections about the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union, the handbook explains concrete ways in which we can uphold our rights in older age and drive positive change at grassroots level.

The last chapter of the handbook focuses on EU mechanisms that help support the rights of older people within the Union and in relations with third countries. Commissioner Jourova in her foreword for this online publication stated: “This publication shows how relevant the European Union is for the daily lives of our older citizens and how EU law and instruments help to promote the rights of older persons at all levels of governance, even beyond our borders. It can be used as a manual by readers who simply want to get a better understanding of their rights. It can also be a very practical tool for people who are active in the safeguarding and promotion of older people’s rights or who want to become more involved in it”.

“AGE’s handbook and our call for a new UN convention reaffirming the relevance of human rights principles in older age, will help us stand up for our rights and those of others”, concludes Mrs Parent.