استعرض مصدر UNFPA and the Academy Handbook of comparative analysis of the global and regional human rights systems of older persons



National Standards and Practices

1. Equality and Non-discrimination based on Age 

Arab Countries

With few exceptions, the rights to equality and non-discrimination in Arab countries
are also entrenched in the constitutions. These rights have recently been complemented by
national plans of action for the elderly - reflecting a higher awareness, at the official level, of
the special needs and rights of the ageing.
The constitutions in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisiaxli stipulate that all citizens are equal
before the law and prohibit discrimination. The National Plans of Action in Morocco,
Tunisia,xlii Egypt,xliii and Turkeyxliv set the legal and policy framework of equality necessary
for a comprehensive approach to elderly rights. The Moroccan National Strategy/Plan of
Action (2008-2012) focuses on income, health, residence, and preserving the dignity of older
people; a ministerial committee was set up to implement this plan.xlv Tunisia has taken a step
further and complemented its national plan of action with another one for active ageing:
“Society for All Ages” (2010), xlvi which aims to promote the rights and needs of older persons
as an integral part of the needs of society as a whole.xlvii 



2. Prevention and Protection of the Victims of Elder Abuse 

Arab Countries

The rights and needs of older persons as victims of elder abuse have been recognized
in some cases in the Arab countries. Among the programmes that recognize elder abuse as a
problem are programmes that help protect older persons, including victims of elder abuse,
and integrate them back into society. These programs serve as a model of cooperation
between the government and civil society to provide protection to the most vulnerable older
persons. Other features are laws that hold adult children responsible for the wellbeing of their
ageing parents. This unique model highlights the social stigma associated with placing
parents in nursing and old age homes.
Tunisia - The Tunisian Elderly Protection Law (1994) lxxx outlines the services to be
provided to older persons, and regulates the institutions that provide care for the elderly. The
law was complemented by a series of regulations and decrees addressing the requirements for
elderly institutions, and their rights and duties.

The Ageing with Dignity Programme, provided by the Association for the Protection
of the Elderly, focuses on the psychological challenges of the elderly, with a focus on
depression, particularly among abandoned or mistreated older persons. In addition to
psychosocial services, the Programme offers health care and training in active-life skills. lxxxi
The Alternative Family Programme, lxxxii supported by the Tunisian government, provides for
alternative families to care for older persons. Each alternative family receives a monthly
allowance to help them meet the needs of the older person they are caring for.lxxxiii
Algeria - The Algerian Elderly Protection Law (2010)lxxxiv provides various levels of
protection for the elderly, and stipulates that anyone who abandons their elderly parents or
exposes the elderly to any risk is subject to imprisonment for up to six months, and fines. 

3. Access to Quality Long-term Care and Health Services, including Sexual and
Reproductive Health

Arab Countries

The universities in the Arab region have played an important role in improving access
to healthcare through pro bono services as well as by advancing scholarship on the standards
and quality of service. Good examples of the promotion and guarantee of the right to health
range from constitutional provisions, as in the case of Egypt, to specific policies targeting 
15
impoverished older persons, implemented by Tunisia. Efforts to reach the more vulnerable
ageing persons, and to provide them with basic long-term healthcare services, led
governmental and nongovernmental bodies to establish clinics in rural areas, and send
healthcare providers to villages and remote towns. Most of the efforts focused on the elderly
have been designed by governments as comprehensive initiatives that include care services,
as well as social and financial protection systems.

 In the majority of Arab countries, the governments bear the responsibility to provide
health care and health security to the elderly, which is established by law. For instance, the
Iraqi constitution establishes the government’s responsibility to guarantee social and health
security of Iraqis in their old age. clix At the legislative level, Jordanian law No. 47(2008) on
Public Health, provides that the Ministry of Health is the institution in charge of the oversight
of health services provided to older people.. clx Similarly, the Egyptian Constitution stipulates
the government’s obligation to provide health insurance for the elderly.clxi In Tunisia, as part
of the public policy to ensure equal access to health care services, impoverished older persons
are entitled to free health care through public facilities. clxii Tunisia also provides specialized
rehabilitation and treatment centres funded by the government, providing much needed
rehabilitation and physical therapy services to older persons for little or no fees.clxiii
Likewise, the government of Kuwait implements a health program for the care of the elderly
at home, where they receive health services free of charge.clxiv

There are numerous examples of care provided by trained staff and volunteers of nongovernmental
organizations. As a part of the Tunisian governmental policy to support the
elderly, and facilitate their access to social and medical services within their home
environment, the Tunisian Union of Social Solidarity dispatches mobile teams of doctors,
paramedics, and social workers to rural areas to assist senior citizens by providing free
services.clxv In Egypt, Regular Medical Caravans provide free medical consultation and
services - including surgeries - at homes in rural areas.clxvi Experts from the ranks of trained
medical professions, which are otherwise part of the advanced level of health-care services,
also help to build up the capacity of competent civil society groups that provide services to
the elderly. For instance, the Elderly Health and Social Care Center – Hilwan University,
provides additional free or inexpensive health services to the elderly, and also contributes to
the advancement of geriatric medicine.clxvii

Pro bono medical services are provided by major medical schools in Egypt, which
focus on older persons, in particular the poor elderly. This initiative offers opportunities for
the medical and academic communities to improve their practical knowledge, as well as
engage society through soliciting donations and support for elderly care; and thus, also raise
public awareness of the needs of older persons. clxviii Another program, “Loving by Caring"
provides training to young professionals that work with older persons and attend to their
special medical needs. clxix The elderly in the Occupied Palestinian Territories also rely
heavily on civil society efforts for the provision of medical services.clxx In Algeria, the
professionals in geriatric medical services recommended the establishment of Geriatric Day
Care Centers, especially in rural areas, so that the elderly can receive the health care they
need without being removed from their home environment, as this impediment could
otherwise worsen their conditions.clxxi

4. Empowerment of Older Women 

Arab Countries

In the Arab region, few initiatives to benefit older women have been implemented by
civil society. In Mauritania, The Grandmother Project in Nouakchott (2007) cxc represents an
example of cooperation between foreign organizations and local women at the grassroots
level. The project empowers grandmothers to participate in nutrition education activities in
urban slums of Nouakchott, and in southern Mauritania. The project also enhances the
intergenerational interaction and transfer of knowledge and experience from older women to
younger women.cxci In Djibouti, the Community Assessment on Household Roles and
Practices Related to Nutrition (2007) cxcii is another effort implemented jointly by the
Grandmother Project, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Health to identify key actors in
household nutrition and better understand their roles and influence leading to the design of a
community grandmother-inclusive nutrition strategy. 

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/OlderPersons/Submissions/UNFPA.pdf

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