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Introduction and background
Arguably, there is a fundamental premise within the social work profession that the human rights of individuals are, or should be recognised as, an inalienable part of the human condition. In their work with disadvantaged individuals, therefore, social workers should assist people to recognise and exercise such rights and empower them to do so. Social work of all types appears predicated on this premise, and the profession has developed with this as a central tenet. The notion of rights-based practice with individuals can also apply to all health and human services professions; in addition, professionals from these domains who work with older people perhaps also need to know about the developments that have been occurring in relation to the rights of older persons and to inform their professional practice with individuals.
However, as yet, there is no established international legal framework that covers the rights of all older persons. The United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), which was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1948, set out for the first time (at global level) the fundamental rights that should be universally protected. Yet the declaration did not specifically mention age – although the presumption is that the UDHR applies to everyone, regardless of age and/or other characteristics. But in practice, in terms of both legislation and policy, the absence of such a detailed and precise framework means that rights that might be considered more explicit to older persons are dispersed across various treaties and instruments at both international and regional levels. Furthermore, until now, there is no specific convention at global level that covers all older people or that is binding on member states, mandating them to comply with the terms of a/the convention – once a country has ratified it and effectively agreed to implement it at national level, which is the process that occurs.
Although there is no international convention on the rights of older people at the overall UN and thus global level, several developments have occurred in recent years relating to the rights of older people. The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to outline the developments that have taken place during this century for readers, to inform both professional practice with older...