27 Jan 2012
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Senior Citizens Forum which is led by the Office on the Rights of Senior Citizens in the Office of the Premier is worried about the escalation of brutal murders of senior citizens.
Despite substantial progress in the past few years in advocating for the protection of senior citizens, the community still associate ageing with witchcraft. In the past eight months senior citizens have been sexually assaulted, hacked to death or burnt beyond recognition. Recently in Lindelani Mr Raphael Zulu and Ms Elsie Dubazane were killed on allegations of witchcraft and many other seniors that were subjected to similar abuse by their own community (youth).
Senior Citizens have been previously marginalised, as ageing has been perceived as a problem rather than a natural process. Their role in the society has changed significantly. In the past, they were regarded as the custodians of tradition and cultural practices and they passed this knowledge to next generations. They taught younger generations about the moral values inherent in our culture and tradition. However the breakdown of traditional family life is seen as one of the causes of the growing number of incidents of abuse directed at senior citizens by the youth.
We urge the criminal justice system to take immediate action to meet its obligations under national and international human rights law to prevent violence against senior citizens.
The South African Constitution provides for non-discrimination of senior citizens. We seek to ensure that senior citizen’s human rights concerns, including violence, are fully integrated into all Government's agendas.
Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier
27 Jan 2012
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