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Ageing Equal': 70 days against ageism

A man prays at the Great Mosque of DjennŽ, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 along with the old town of DjennŽ, in the central region of Mali.

1st October-10th December 2018

Between 1st October 2018, the International Day of Older Persons and 10th December 2018, the 70th anniversary of the International Human Rights Day, AGE Platform Europe, with the support of its partners and fellow civil society organisations, is launching a 70 day campaign against ageism.

The Declaration 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. It a key milestone document, which underpins all international
human rights law and policy work to ensure all people can live in freedom, equality and dignity.

The celebration of this 70th anniversary offers a great reminder that human rights do not diminish with age!

Why is ageism a human rights issue?

Ageism is the systematic discrimination of persons on the ground of their age. As other discriminations, it takes various forms ranging from stereotypes to mistreatment and abuse. Ageism is often ‘structural’, i.e. sustained by our society and its institutions in laws, policies, practices or culture. This leads to many violations of human rights on the ground of age going unnoticed or being generally accepted, including by older people themselves who are often not aware of their rights being breached. In this context, the negative effects of ageism tend to be denied or are not considered as serious and harmful as other forms of discrimination, and we fail to take effective action to counter it. Read AGE position on Structural Ageism

However, ageism is a major obstacle to the social inclusion and equal participation of older persons. And ageist stereotypes and discriminations ingrained in our society lead to inequalities that undermine people’s enjoyment of their human rights as they age.

A major awareness-raising campaign

Building on the progress achieved at UN level in promoting human rights in old age, AGE is launching the ‘Ageing Equal’ campaign to spread the word about how ageism affects or will affect each of us across the whole life span. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness on ageism as the first step to take action against it.

The campaign in practice

The campaign will last 70 days, starting on the International Day of Older Persons on from 1st October, the International Day of
Older Persons, to 10th December 2018.

Each of the 10 weeks of the campaign will cover a specific theme to illustrate the widespread effect of ageism and how it affects different groups in society. Equality bodies and fellow civil society organisations are invited to support and provide contribution from the perspective of their own communities.

Take action against ageism!

The campaign will be mainly conducted on social media. A dedicated blog will provide regular updates on the campaign and its different themes to approach the issue of ageism through different angles. You are more than welcome to add your own perspective and help us spread the word about ageism!

You can get involved in the campaign by:

  • Changing your profile picture to include a Twibbon;
  • Sharing your stories and testimonies about your experience of age discriminations and how you’re acting against pervasive ageism;
  • 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.

Useful links

Source: AGE Platform Europe