There is currently no dedicated international treaty setting out how human rights apply as people age, unlike the conventions for children, women and people with disability. The United Nations has established an Intergovernmental Working Group, including Australia, to consider whether a new binding convention on the human rights of older persons is needed, and what it should contain.
This matters because ageism is often described as the most socially accepted form of prejudice in Australia. Research by the Australian Human Rights Commission found jokes about age are seen as more acceptable than jokes about race or gender, and that while most Australians recognise ageism as a real problem, it rarely gets the same attention as other forms of discrimination.
COTA Australia has contributed to this UN process. Drawing on our State of the Older Nation research and consultation with older Australians, our submission argues a new convention must recognise ageism as a root cause of older people’s exclusion, reflect how disadvantage accumulates over a lifetime, particularly for First Nations older people, older women and other marginalised groups, and require governments to act on these rights, not just affirm them, with real, accessible ways to seek remedy when rights are breached.