‘Age should not diminish rights,’ warns UN independent expert

Key points

• An estimated 664 million women will be 60 years of age or older in 2025, and that number is expected to reach 1.13 billion in 2050.
• A new report examines violence against older women as a distinct and intersectional issue rooted in discrimination, ageism and inequality

‘Invisible’ violence

Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur regarding the causes and consequences of violence against women and girls, calls for urgent action by states to ensure that women’s right to live free from violence does not diminish with age.

“Women should not lose their right to live free from violence as they age,” said Ms. Alsalem in her latest report to the General Assembly.

“Often, ageism and sexism make violence against older women invisibletolerated or treated as an inevitable part of aging.”

She said older women are rights holders, bearers of knowledge and active members of society, adding that their age “must not be used to reduce their dignity, autonomy or protection”.

Latest findings

The report identifies physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence as well as coercive control, neglect, abandonment and violence facilitated by technology.

The report also outlines that older women may face exploitation related to their pensions and property, digital exclusion, denial of healthcare or assistive devices, as well as barriers to reporting and justice.

He said violence can occur in homes, communities, care institutions, prisons, and situations of crisis and conflict.

Additionally, the report emphasizes that older women may be excluded from services and data, while sexual violence against them remains poorly understood.

Respect your elders

Ms Alsalem found that widows, migrant and stateless women, rural women, women with disabilities, women in institutional care and women affected by conflict and humanitarian crises were the groups most at risk.

“When older women live in poverty, disability, isolation or are dependent on others for care, we must pay attention to the pressures that can dictate the choices available to them,” she said.

“No woman should feel that continuing her life is a burden just because she has reached old age or needs support.”

Ms Alsalem urged countries to:

• Explicitly recognize and address violence against older women in laws, national strategies, and violence prevention and response programs
• Collect age and gender disaggregated data
• Strengthen accessible reporting, protection, justice and redress
• Ensure training for law enforcement, justice, health and social services professionals

Independent experts appointed by Human Rights Council in Geneva. They are not UN staff and do not receive any salary for their work.