By Phillip Pasula
MZUZU-(MaraviPost)-Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati has urged people in the country to safeguard and care for older persons.
Kaliati was responding to a call by the Malawi Network for Older Persons Organization (MANEPO) for an enactment of Older Persons Bill aimed at largely supporting and enhancing respect of human dignity, personal freedoms and right to life for older persons.
Apart from committing to pass the bill, Kaliati said government will use other avenues to improve the welfare of elderly people in the country.
“We are encouraging the relatives to take care of their grandparents. Most of the elderly women that have been abused are women. We are telling the generations that they have got to safeguard the rights of old people because they are the custodians of our culture in Malawi,” remarked Kaliati.
According to MANEPO, 15 elderly persons were killed and many were abused over witchcraft allegations in 2022. And this year alone, three older persons have been killed.
MANEPO Executive Director, Andrew Kavala, laments the fact that some elderly people are abused, victimised and murdered by their own relations.
“Older persons are living dangerously in their own country which is very unfortunate. We cannot celebrate the death of even one person but as we speak now, the country has already lost three older persons. These are all women. This is very unfortunate and I think we are not doing well,” Kavala said.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Number 16 urges nations to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
