Between 1st October 2018, the International Day of Older Persons and 10th December 2018, the International Human Rights Day, AGE Platform Europe is launching a 70-day campaign against ageism with the support of partner organisations. This campaign seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the prevalence and negative impact of ageism and of the importance to stand up for your rights no matter what age you are.
Human Rights gets 70 years old
This milestone document sets out universal individual rights a person is entitled to as a human being, regardless of his/her age, nation, location, language, religion, ethnic origin or any other status. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10th December 1948, the Universal Declaration has helped achieve major advancements towards more freedom and equality in many countries. Yet, those fundamental human rights still need to be re-affirmed today, all the more so when one gets older.
Ageism: a pervasive nonsense
Ageism is manifested in the way we think, feel and act towards age and ageing and is embedded in our cultures, institutions and policies. It is the most commonly experienced form of discrimination and a major obstacle to the social inclusion and equal participation of older persons. It takes various forms ranging from stereotypes to mistreatment and abuse.
Negative prejudices linked to ageing persist despite the rise in life expectancy and the increasing number of older people. With almost 20% of the population being over 65, and a projected 30% in 2050 according to Eurostat, this means that a large and rising share of the population is being discriminated and hindered in the equal enjoyment of their human rights.
Stand up for your rights in old age
The campaign, which was launched on 1st October, the International Day of Older Persons, will last until 10th December, the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It will be structured around 10 thematic weeks to reflect the diversity of experiences in older age and the multiple discrimination experienced by different groups as they grow older: ageism and gender, ageism and social rights, ageism and migration, ageism and intergenerational solidarity, ageism and sexuality, ageism and race, ageism and elder abuse, ageism and belief, ageism and disability.
The campaign is built around three key messages:
- Ageism affects or will affect everyone;
- Although it tends to be more widely accepted, ageism is as harmful as other forms of discrimination;
- We must change our mindsets about ageing and challenge the way we think, feel and act about ageing and older persons.
Everyone is invited to spread the word and join the movement. You can get involved by:
- Sharing your stories and testimonies about your experience of age discrimination and how you’re acting against pervasive ageism by proposing a blogpost for the campaign website or adding your voice to the debate on social media with the hashtag #AgeingEqual;
- Spreading the word about the campaign and its key messages through your own channels and social media building up on the material available on the campaign blog and using the hashtag #AgeingEqual.
- Adding the campaign logo in your social media profile picture thanks to Twibbon. A Twibbon is a temporary overlay to your existing social media profile picture. You can use the Twibbon only for the day in which your post will be out or during the whole campaign. To add a Twibbon with the campaign logo, visit this page.
The logo in several languages and other campaign materials can be found at trello.com/b/q14dqegb
For any information on our campaign, please contact: Estelle Huchet, estelle.huchet@age-platform.eu
