Ethics & Values (Sem.V) PDF

Semester-V Vulnerable Sections of Society: Understanding their Issues 5.1 Issues Relating to Children 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Definition and Concept of Vulnerable Child 1.3 Types of Vulnerability 1.3.1 Concept of Social Vulnerability 1...

Semester-V Vulnerable Sections of Society: Understanding their Issues 5.1 Issues Relating to Children 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Definition and Concept of Vulnerable Child 1.3 Types of Vulnerability 1.3.1 Concept of Social Vulnerability 1.3.2 Concept of Physical Vulnerability 1.3.3 Concept of Economic Vulnerability 1.3.4 Concept of Environment Vulnerability 1.3.5 Concept of Attitudinal Vulnerability 1.4 Factors associated with the Vulnerable Child 1.4.1 Physical factors 1.4.2 Economic factors 1.4.3 Environmental factors 1.4.4 Social factors 1.5 Major Issues 1.5.1 Nutrition 1.5.2 Child labour 1.5.3 Child Abuse 1.5.4 Child Trafficking 1.6 Legal Aspects 1.7 Let us Sum Up 1.8 Keywords 1.9 Check Your Progress 1.10 Suggested Reading 1 1.0 Objectives The objectives of this chapter are  To create awareness about vulnerable children  To understand the types of vulnerability that exists in society  To make students conscious about the vulnerable sections of the society 1.1 Introduction Today’s child is tomorrow’s future. The child’s growth process, mental development and social development can only be possible if the child is nurtured in a healthy environment. So, a great concern arises for the vulnerable sections of the society. The stakeholders of the society should be well aware of the vulnerability of the children who are exposed to abuse and neglect, requiring protection. Before understanding their issues, one has to gain knowledge about who is a vulnerable child, types of vulnerabilitythat occurs in the society and issues related to vulnerable children. 1.2 Definition and Concept of Vulnerable Child The concept of vulnerability and the vulnerable child can be well understood by the following definition. Vulnerability is defined by World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as: “Vulnerability is the state or condition of being weak or poorly defended.” The concept of vulnerability with regard to young people implies the ones who are more exposed to risks than their peers. They can be vulnerable in terms of deprivation (food, education and parental care), exploitation, abuse, neglect, violence and infection with HIV. There are various factors which make the Indian children vulnerable and exposed to risk factors like illness, lack of education and lack of identity. Extreme poverty is another major factor for vulnerability. According to UNICEF estimates, 33% of India’s population lives below the international poverty line and 28% of rural and 26% of urban population of India lives below the national poverty line. The alarming concept is that young girls are vulnerable to anaemia, malnutrition and domestic violence. In a nutshell, the concept of vulnerability refers to the group of people who are exposed to more risks than their peers and are separated from their parents. They are the real vulnerable group. According to World Bark’s “Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVE)” toolkit: “Vulnerable are the group of children who experience negative outcomes, such as the loss of their education, morbidity and mal-nutrition at higher rates than their peers. The main categories of vulnerable children are:  Street children  Children in the worst forms of child labour  Children affected by armed conflict  Children affected by HIV/AIDS  Children living with disability  Local orphan and vulnerable children 2  The meaning and concept of vulnerability needs to be understood by the stakeholders of the society. This chapter will enable the students to understand who is a vulnerable child and their issues in brief. 1.3 Types of Vulnerability  Concept of social/ individual vulnerability  Concept of physical vulnerability  Concept of economic vulnerability  Concept of environmental vulnerability  Concept of attitudinal vulnerability According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2019), vulnerability in this context can be defined as the “diminished anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from the impact of a natural or man-made hazard.” Vulnerability in fact describes the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system on asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. There are many aspects of vulnerability that arise out of physical, social, economic and environmental factors. 1.3.1 Concept of Social Vulnerability Human being is a social animal and society plays an important role in social development, so the positive and negative impact of the society affects the human being’s holistic growth. Social vulnerability concept and how the vulnerable stressors affects the human life must be understood. One of the dimensions of vulnerability is related to multiple stressors including abuse, social exclusion and natural hazards and the inability of people, organisations and societies to withstand the adverse impact of these stress creators. It includes aspects related to levels of literacy and education, the existence of peace and security, access to basic human rights, systems of good governance, social equity, traditional values, customs and ideological beliefs and overall collective organisational systems (UNISDR). So, social vulnerability is created through the interaction of social forces and multiple stressors and also resolved through social conditions. For example: When flooding occurs, some citizens such as children, elderly and differently abled may be evacuated. It requires involvement of local communities and strengthening the people’s ability to help themselves. 1.3.2 Concept of Physical Vulnerability Physical vulnerability refers to the degree of susceptibility within the physical environment and the negative impact of hazards. It is the ability of built environment, i.e., homes, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and government buildings to protect the individual from natural disasters. Physical vulnerability generally refers to the monetary value of physical assets in the hazardous zones. Physical vulnerability includes: 1) Structural damage or collapse to buildings 2) Non-structural damage and damage to contents 3) Structural damage to infrastructure 3  These are direct losses to the assets of the society. The indirect losses due to physical vulnerability is the progressive deterioration of damaged buildings and infrastructure which are not repaired. So, there is a need of accessing the physical vulnerability of urban areas, communities and the buildings of nearby slum areas. The physical vulnerability of an area also depends on its geographic proximity to the source and origin of the disasters, i.e., if area lies near to the coast lines, fault lines and unstable hills etc. It also makes the area more vulnerable to disasters as compared to an area that is far away from the origin of the disasters. Physical vulnerability includes the difficulty in access to water resources, means of communications, hospitals, police stations, fire brigades, roads, buildings in an area in case of disasters. All these inaccessibility also arises out of lack of planning and implementation. At times, problematic construction of residential and commercial buildings results in the land being vulnerable to earthquake, floods, landslides and then hazards. How can the society expect a healthy body and healthy mind of a child who has experienced these difficulties throughout his life? The challenges of these aspects of physical vulnerability have to be realised by all and it needs to be reduced at all levels. 1.3.3 Concept of Economic Vulnerability Income and expenditure are like two sides of a coin. The sources of income determine the expenditure pattern. The economic condition of the family and individual in particular determines the lifestyle and adjustment in life. The concept of economic vulnerability of a community can be assessed by determining how varied its sources of income, means of production (e.g. farm and livestock, irrigation, etc.) and the economic transactions are and the availability of natural resources in the area. To understand economic vulnerability, one has to understand about the economic vulnerability index. Economic vulnerability index is a composition of the following eight indicators: 1) Population size 2) Remoteness 3) Merchandised export concentration 4) Share of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in gross domestic product 5) Homelessness due to natural disasters 6) Instability of agricultural production In simple terms, economic vulnerability refers to the condition that creates hazards on economic assets and processes such as business interruption, secondary effects such as increased poverty and job loss in society. It has a direct impact over the economic status of individuals, communities and nation. The lowest rung are prone to disasters because they lack to resources, low income and negatively affected by natural disasters. So, the economic vulnerable groups who are staying under small sheds need more care and attention from all levels. 1.3.4 Concept of Environment Vulnerability Environmental vulnerability refers to the tendency of the environment to respond either positively or negatively to changes in human and climatic conditions. For example: the wetlands such as Caroni Swamp, tsunami and pollution from storm water containing agricultural chemicals, eroded soils and acid rain, etc. It has direct impact over agriculture, housing and economy and increases the health risks for vulnerable populations, in particular women and children. In fact, the world population will reach nine billion (nine hundred crores) 4 by 2050. Climate change can affect human health through the direct hazards of nature such as heatwave, floods and storms disrupted eco-system. So the environment has a direct impact over the vulnerable populations. In order to sustain the planet and the population living on it, we need to expand our knowledge of energy consumption, sustainability, water and food security and its impact on human health. Hence, the case of environment and preservation of natural resources for the future generation is a real concern for today’s generation. 1.3.5 Concept of Attitudinal Vulnerability ‘Attitude’ means the behavioural reactions towards a particular thing. There is attitudinal vulnerability among the people who never try to accept any change. In simple terms, attitudinal vulnerability refers to “a community which has the negative attitude towards change and lacks initiative in life leading to more and more dependence on external support”. They cannot act independently. Their sources of livelihood do not have variety and lack entrepreneurship. These group of people become the victims of conflicts, hopelessness and pessimism that reduces their capacity of coping with disasters. 1.4 Factors associated with the Vulnerable Child 1.4.1 Physical Factors Health of a child is the real factor for overall growth and development. The wellness of health depends on the complete functions of all parts of the body. The continuous unhealthy condition leads to a child’s vulnerability. The child’s vulnerable condition arises out of many physical factors such as physical capabilities or personal circumstances, age, disability, cognitive or mental health difficulties. Children with physical disabilities are a very broad group. They are varying capabilities with limited physical, intellectual, speech defects, sensory impairments and various chronic conditions. The case for the specially-abled children improved considerably over the last few decades but still they are neglected in comparison to non-disabled peers. So, these group of children require more attention and care. Disability is not the only factor which is responsible for child’s vulnerable condition. Mental health difficulties are more common, particularly among children from low socio-economic backgrounds. They are likely to develop more mental challenges than those from high socio- economic backgrounds. Physical factors are highly responsible for creating the vulnerable group. 1.4.2 Economic Factors Economic condition of a family plays an important role in building confidence and development of overall personality. Factors like parents with lower educational attainment and few economic resources in the households can affect their ability to succeed in school. Children with these backgrounds are a large and growing group. A child’s nurturing requires housing, proper food for growth and development, cloth and other facilities for overall personality development. Proper household and good food will directly promote better health, education and also economic growth of the family. So, a good human being can be created if the economic support and condition of the family is good. 1.4.3 Environmental Factors Environment and health of an individual have a direct relationship. The environmental pollution, land degradation, bio-diversity loss, ocean acidification have direct impact on human 5 health. Climate change such as heatwaves, floods and storms have also direct impact on health. Climate changes are the key determinants for agriculture and clean water, and ultimately it might lead to a society with poverty, low-socio-economic condition and hunger-prone society. It also directly affects generation creation as well as makes the vulnerable child prone to diseases. 1.4.4 Social Factors Society is one of the best platforms for overall growth of a child. A child is the most innocent being and deserves the best chances in life, irrespective of their identity. Therefore, they are the most vulnerable because of their age and are always at risk of exploitation, getting abused, facing violence and suffering from neglect. There are many social factors - lack of identity, lack of education, orphans, physical disabilities and lack of capabilities to defend themselves. There is a huge gap between the rich family children and those living in poverty. Children from economically-backward families, those living in the streets and abandoned children at all stages of life are more prone to health problems like pneumonia, mal-nutrition and childhood health problems. These children are the neglected part of the society who can never achieve their dreams. 1.5 Major Issues 1.5.1 Nutrition We all know today’s child is tomorrow’s future. A healthy child means the child with healthy mind and body without disease. The healthy growth of a child starts from the mother’s womb. Which means, the child’s healthy growth and development depends on the mother’s diet. Negligence of diet during pregnancy leads to a child’s related growth, death and defective formation of organs. Hence, a child’s health depends on good nutrition. A good nutritional status can be achieved by providing a balanced diet. This is essential for proper functioning of brain, development of brain and also helps in proper use of hand, leg and body parts. If the body is deficient of one or more nutrients then it suffers from malnutrition. So, the early stage of child’s growth and development requires proper selection of nutrients. There is a deep relationship of health and nutrition. An understanding of health is the basis of all health care and health-related problems. Health means absence of disease. A healthy body and mind can be maintained through good nutrition and healthy life. According to World Health Organisation, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being not merely the absence of disease and infinity. In a nut shell, health means:  Absence of disease  A complete physical, mental, social well-being  Healthy body and mind  Physical capacities of the body  Harmonious function of organs  Proper use of five senses -taste, smell, sight, touch and hearing  Proper co-ordination of eye, hand and mind  A stress-free mind with a happy life 6 The physical well-being and a healthy life can be achieved through physical fitness, muscular strength and absence of disease. The relationship of nutrition and health can be maintained through:  Proper balanced diet.  Low-fat diet.  Nutrient-rich diet.  Cholesterol-free diet Indication of Adequate Nutrition A child’s health and nutritional status can be understood from many things associated with the body. A child’s nutritional status can be understood by assessing the health condition of the child, i.e., whether the child is having adequate nutrition on suffering from mal-nutrition or under-nutrition. It can be understood from different indicators such as height, weight, strength, working capacity and volume of blood. In the absence of adequate nutrition, normal growth and development will be hampered. If an infant won’t get necessary nutrients from food, then it leads to mal-nourished condition of health. Nutritional problem arises when there is imbalance in diet. It leads to deficiency in nutrition, under nutrition and over nutrition. These three conditions of nutrition creates health problem. Let us have an idea about these three conditions which create major health issues of children.  Deficiency of nutrition: Deficiency of nutrition leads to malnutrition. It occurs when the body doesn’t get appropriate quantity of nutrients as per the body’s requirement.  Under nutrition: Under nutrition arises when there is insufficient intake of energy-providing food, body building food, protective and regulatory food to maintain good health.  Over nutrition: Over nutrition is also a form of malnutrition (imbalanced nutrition) over nutrition leads to overweight or obesity condition of health. Nutritional issues of child A child’s growth and development depends on adequate nutrient-rich food in tune with the age and body conditions. Lack of nutrition or deficiency of nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats leads to the following health issues:  Poor physical development  Poor mental growth  Poor intellectual ability  Poor school performances  Weak immune system (low ability to fight with disease)  Easily infected by virus  Ill health  Reduced appetite  Lack of interest in food and drinks  Retarded growth  Not putting on weight and not having a height as per age  Change in behaviour  Poor concentration  Getting ill and taking a long time for recovery 7  Malnourished condition leads to the following childhood health problems: 1- Childhood obesity and weight problems It is caused by eating too much and lack of exercise. This results in weight gain and it also leads to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cardio-vascular diseases. One should be particular about the food stuff selected for the child’s diet. 2- Raising emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence means a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with preface. A child with a healthy body and mind has good emotional intelligence. If a child will be given diet rich in nutrients, then the child’s intelligence will be developed. Inadequate diet may lead to a weak brain. During the early period of childhood, the child needs to be supplemented with adequate nutrient-rich food. 3- Fussy eaters The child’s eating habit generally creates problem. Sometimes children are not interested to take food. It’s a challenge for mothers how to feed their babies. Fussy eating is characterised by an unwillingness to eat familiar foods or try new foods as well as only one type of food preferences. The child’s food habit depends on his mood and choice of food. This also leads to malnourished condition of health. 1.5.2 Child Labour Child labour is one of the major issues of child vulnerability. Children who are deprived of schooling, potential and childhood became the major group of vulnerable children. According to International Labour Organisation (ILO), the term “Child Labour” is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity and that is harmful to their physical and mental development. It refers to work that is:  Mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children.  Interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school, obliging them to leave school prematurely or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. Particular forms of work can be called child labour depending on the child’s age, the type of work, hours of work performed and the conditions under which it is performed. The worst forms of child labour is defined by Article 3 of ILO convention No 182:  All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage, serfdom and forced on compulsory labour, including forced on compulsory re-equipment of children for use in armed conflict.  The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution for production of pornography or for pornographic performances.  The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the international treaties.  Work which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. The future of children who are victims of these activities is bleak. In most cases, life of such children engaged in hazardous work becomes risky and prone to many health problems. In simple terms, hazardous child labour means engagement of a child in hazardous work which is 8 likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. According to the Article 3 of ILO recommendation No 190, child labour is one in which the  Work exposes children to physical, psychological or sexual abuse.  Work involves underground, under water, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces.  Work with dangerous machinery, equipment and foods which involves manual handling or transport of heavy loads.  Work in an unhealthy environment which may expose children to hazardous substances, agent or processes or to temperatures, noise levels or vibrations, causing damaging to their health.  Work under particularly difficult conditions such as work for long hours or during the night or work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises of the employer. Going by global statistics, out of 160 million children 63 million girls and 97 million boys are in child labour. In other words, out of 10 children one is engaged as child labour. (Child Labour: Global Estimates 2020). This report also indicates that 72% of all child labour and 83% child labour among children aged 5 to 11 years occurs within families. Family-based child labour can be hazardous and is also likely to harm their health, safety or morals. Whatever be the condition, child labour becomes a major section of vulnerable group who are a part of social inequality, discrimination and deprived from schooling and childhood. Especially for girls it’s a triple burden because she has to perform household works also. UNICEF estimates that India has the highest number of labourers in the world aged under 14 years. One has to learn how to eradicate or stop engaging children in different works. UNICEF reported that cities provide more opportunity for work in comparison to rural areas. A Campaign Against Child Labour study says approximately 12,66,6377 child labourers are working in India. Children who are deprived of their livelihood and their rights and education need to be protected by all stakeholders of the society. The reasons behind creation of child labour force are low socio-economic status, poverty, unemployment and illiteracy. Children are the future human resources of the country; so the schools need to create an environment to control child labour through increased awareness. Categories of child labour Children are engaged in different categories of work. They are specifically a separate vulnerable group to be identified and given attention. The most difficult form of child labour are:  Slavery on similar types of work.  Child trafficking.  Forced recruitment into armed conflict.  Prostitution and pornography  Drug production and trafficking or other illegal acts.  Debt bondage.  Hazardous work that can cause injury or moral corruption. Issues of child labourers A child never wants to be a labourer. A child has become a child labourer due to poverty, lack of education, illiteracy, financial condition of the family members, 9 unemployment and over population. When a child is engaged in work to earn money, it hampers the child physically and mentally and might even lead to death. The child is deprived of heath care, schooling and restriction of fundamental rights. Unethical issues related to child labour Child labour is one of major issues and challenges of our society. Engaging children in factories for long hours, bad treatment and poor payment have become a part of unethical practices. Early childhood spent in dreadful working environment becomes the reason for severe physical and emotional damage. They are deprived of education and health care. According to National Institute of Health, child labourers generally suffer from the following outcomes:  Behavioural disorders.  Malnutrition.  Poor mental and physical growth.  Infectious diseases. Long working houses and forced work pressure leads to poor mental as well as the physical health. Hence, business leaders, industrialists and other stakeholders of the society have to be more careful while engaging children. 1.5.3 Child Abuse Child abuse is defined as a variety of harmful behaviours directed against children. It is causes psychological problems. It is not just physical violence but any form of maltreatment by an adult. When the child is maltreated by anyone, then the child feels depressed, neglected and also afraid to tell anyone about it. It may be in the form of physical, emotional or sexual abuse. If a child is a victim of any form of abuse, then it can be identified by many signs on symptoms such as unexplained facial injuries, injuries on forearms, burn mark on the skin, oral or dental injuries, internal damage, vomiting, breathing difficulties, difficulty in walking or sitting, brushing around genitals, discharge around the genitals and painful urination, defecation. The maltreated child has faces health issues as well as behavioural issues. The neglected child’s behaviour can easily be identified by observation. Poor hygiene, improper clothing, lack of access to medical care, worsening medical conditions, poorly tended wounds, hair loss, malnutrition and low weight, excessive crying, bedwetting, poor concentration, development of phobias or fears, eating issues, speech difficulties and discomfort are some of the signs of a neglected child who is either sexually abused, maltreated, neglected or facing any form of physical abuse. Therefore, one has to be aware of the types of abuse children generally face. Those are:  Physical Abuse - Physical harm of a child by parents, caretakers and outsiders.  Emotional Abuse - child is degraded, isolated, exploited, and rejected by the family members, at schools and by the society.  Sexual Abuse- Forceful participation of children in sexual acts, sexual assaults, rape and fondling, etc.  Neglect - Child is lacking with adequate food, clothing, shelter, clean living conditions, affection, supervision, education or medical care. 10  Statistical Facts  India reported over 24 lakh instances of online child sexual abuse during three- year period between 2017 and 2020 with 80% of the victims being girls below the age of 14 years according to Interpol data. www.newindianexpress.com  A total of 1,28,531 crimes against children were recorded in India last year (which year?) according to National Crime Records Bureau in 2019. www.firstpost.com A state-wise analysis shows that Madhya Pradesh (13.2%), Uttar Pradesh (11.8%), Maharashtra (11.1%), West Bengal (7.9%), and Bihar (5.1%) account for child crimes. Child Abuse and Ethical Issues The ethical aspect of dealing with a child who is a victim is really a challenging task. It involves four stages: recognition of the problem, evaluation of the condition of the child, immediate protection if child is at risk then immediate preventive steps need to be taken and in all circumstances parental consent has to be obtained. Creation of awareness and education in the society regarding child abuse cases will help curb the problem. 1.5.4 Child Trafficking Child trafficking is a major social as well as ethical issue related to children. It is a form of human trafficking. United Nations defines it as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring and receipt” kidnapping of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labour and exploitation. International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 10,000 children are trafficked every year. Trafficking of children has been internationally recognised as a serious crime. It happens in the form of forced labour, sexual exploitation, children in armed forces, children in drug trade, child begging and adoption. There is need for intervention strategy to combat the problem and stop these unethical practices from the society. Education institutions, parents, teachers and administration and the society in general should take steps to eradicate such issues. There are different types of child trafficking in society such as sexual exploitation, benefit, fraud, forced marriage, domestic slavery like cleaning, cooking and childcare, forced labour in factories or agriculture, committing crimes, like begging, theft, working on cannabis farms or moving drugs, involuntary domestic servitude, illegal activities, child soldiers and children exploited for commercial sex. In fact, child trafficking generally happens due to several factors such as mass displacement, conflict, extreme poverty, lack of access to education and job opportunities, violence and harmful social norms like child marriage. 11  Effects of Human Trafficking  Physical and psychological abuse: People who are being trafficked are subjected to all forms of physical abuse such as rape, beating and torture. Children used as house help are often beaten and females are raped and sometimes forced to starve and deprived of other basic needs of life. This affects the psychological growth of such children.  Abuse of Fundamental Human Rights: Human trafficking leads to abuse of fundamental human rights because they are often denied their right to free thought, conscience and decision.  Delay In Their Education and Human Capacity Development: Children who are trafficked and forced into child labour are usually denied their right to education in order to become useful to themselves in the future.  Vulnerability To Sexually Transmitted Disease: Girls engaged in prostitution are prone to sexually transmitted diseases such as syphyilis, gonorrhoea and HIV/AIDS. These diseases are capable of cutting their lives short and can reduce their productive contribution to society and increase medical expenses.  Unwanted pregnancy: Victims of human trafficking are mostly faced with unprotected sex which could result in unwanted pregnancies. Some of these girls when they give birth will throw the child away or abandon the child with their parents without adequate care.  Death: Some children who are used as house helps are violently beaten to death while some die of ill health because they are not properly taken care of. 1.6 Legal Aspects of Vulnerable Children Children have the right to be protected from all exploitative and vulnerable situations. According to the convention (which convention?), this right includes freedom from all forms of exploitation, abuse and inhuman or degrading treatment. This includes right to special protection in situations of emergency and armed conflict. - Legal protection for vulnerable child - It includes right to freedom from torture - Right to life - Freedom from inhuman treatment - Freedom from slavery - Freedom from forced labour - Right to liberty and security - Freedom of movement - Right to fair trial - Right to privacy - Freedom of thought, conscience, religion - Freedom of opinion and expression 12  Land marks for Human Rights 1. The United General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child which is a landmark of human rights. 2. The first international treaty that recognises the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. 3. The convention on the rights of the child has 54 articles and these articles list different rights that children have and the responsibilities that governments and others including parents have. List of Rights for Children 1. Right to equality (Article 2), 2. Children’s interests (Article 3), 3. Having your opinions heard (Article 12), 4. Freedom of expression and getting information (Article 17), 5. Freedom of thought and religion (Article14), 6. Freedom to gather together and join organisations (Article 15), 7. Right to privacy (Article 16), 8. Protection from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and maltreatment (Article 19), 9. Protection of child who is deprived (Article 20), 10. Adoption (Article 21), 11. Children with disabilities (Article 23), 12. Health (Article 24), 13. Children not living with their parents or have had to be removed from their parents (Article 25), 14. Right to get benefit (Article 26), 15. Standard of living (Article 27), 16. Right to education (Article 28), 17. Children from minority groups (Article 30), 18. Rest and leisure (Article 31), 19. Right to work (Article 32), 20. Protect from using drugs (Article 33), 21. Protection from sexual abuse (Article 34), 22. Abduction (Article 35), 23. Protection from harm (Article 36), 24. Protection against torture and detention (Article 37), 25. Joining the army (Article 38), 26. Recovery from abuse (Article 39), 27. Children who have broken the law (Article 40). SOURCE - On November 20, 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a landmark for human rights. It is the first international treaty that recognizes the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. In December 1991, Canada ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and thus committed itself under international law to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights of children in Canada. India ratified the Convention in 1992. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely accepted human rights treaty – of all the United Nations member states, only the United States and Somalia have not ratified it. The Convention on the Rights of the Child has 54 articles (sections), and most of these articles list different rights that children have, and different responsibilities that Governments and others, including parents, have to make sure that children have these rights. 13 1.7 Let Us Sum Up  The objectives of this chapter are: -To create awareness about vulnerable children -To understand the types of vulnerability that exists in the society -To make students conscious about the vulnerable sections of the society  The introduction of this chapter covers the definition and concept of vulnerability and vulnerable child who are exposed to child abuse and neglected and also needs protection. Before understanding their issues, one has to gain knowledge about who is a vulnerable child, types of vulnerability existing in the society and issues related to vulnerable children.  The term vulnerability is defined as “the state or condition of being weak or poorly defended.” One can be considered as vulnerable in terms of deprivation of food, education and parental care, exploitation, abuse, neglect, violence and infection with HIV.  The main categories of vulnerable children are: - Street children - Children in the worst forms of child labour - Children affected by armed conflict - Children affected by HIV/AIDs - Children living with disability - Local orphans and vulnerable children  There are different types of vulnerability such as social vulnerability, physical and economic vulnerability, environmental vulnerability and attitudinal vulnerability. Social vulnerability includes abuse, social exclusion and natural hazards and inability of the people, organisations and societies to withstand the adverse impact of stress creators. Physical vulnerability refers to the degree of susceptibility within the physical environment and the negative impact of hazards. The physical vulnerability includes structural damages or collapse of buildings, non-structural damage and damage to contents and structural damage to infrastructure. Economic vulnerability index is a composition of the different eight indicators – population size, remoteness, merchandised export concentration, share of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in gross domestic product, homelessness due to natural disasters and instability of agricultural production or negatively to changes. Environmental vulnerability refers to the tendency of the environment to respond either positively or negatively to changes in human and climate conditions. Attitudinal vulnerability means behavioural reactions towards a particular thing.  There are different factors associated with vulnerable child. The factors include physical, economic, environmental and social which are responsible for a child’s overall growth and development. These factors are the key determinants for a child’s vulnerable condition.  The vulnerability condition of a child generally happens due to major issues related to child. The major issues are discussed such as nutrition, child labour, child abuse and child trafficking.  The legal aspects include different laws and provisions for child rights, fundamental rights and rights by international conventions. 14  1.8 Keywords:  Vulnerability-Vulnerability is the state or condition of being weak or poorly defended. It is the group of children that experience negative outcomes such as loss of their education, morbidity and malnutrition at higher rates than their peers.  Social Vulnerability- It is the inability of people, organisations and societies to withstand the adverse impact of the stress creators.  Physical vulnerability- Physical vulnerability refers to the degree of susceptibility within the physical environment and negative impact of hazards.  Economic Vulnerability- It is the condition that creates hazards on economic assets and processes such as business interruption, secondary poverty and jobless society.  Environmental vulnerability- It refers to the tendency of the environment to respond either positively or negatively to changes in human and climatic conditions.  Attitudinal Vulnerability - A community that has negative attitude towards change and lacks initiative in life, leads to more and more dependence on external support.  Under Nutrition- Under nutrition arises when there is insufficient intake of energy providing food, body building food and protective and regulatory food to maintain good health.  Over Nutrition- It is also a form of malnutrition.  Fussy eaters- It refers to an unwillingness to eat familiar or try new foods as well as eat only one type of food preferences.  Child labour- According to international Labour Organisation, the term ‘child labour’ is defined as work that derives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity and is harmful to physical and mental development.  Child abuse- It is defined as a variety of harmful behaviours directed against children.  Child trafficking- United Nations defined it as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring and receipt, kidnapping of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labour and exploitation”. 1.9- Check your progress Q1- Explain in two or three sentences a) Definition of vulnerable child. b) Social vulnerability c) Physical vulnerability d) Economic vulnerability e) Attitudinal vulnerability f) Over nutrition g) Malnutrition h) Child trafficking i) Child abuse j) Child labour k) Child rights l) Causes of child vulnerability m) Physical factors of child vulnerability 15  n) Social factors of child vulnerability o) Economic factors of child vulnerability p) Fussy eaters Q-2- Answer within 50 words a- What is child vulnerability? b- Who can be called a vulnerable child? c- Differentiate between social vulnerability and economic vulnerability. d- What are the physical factors of child vulnerability? e- What are the unethical issues of child labour? f- Mention the types of vulnerable child. g- Differentiate between attitudinal vulnerability and physical vulnerability. h- What are the impacts of human trafficking? i- What are legal provisions for a vulnerable child? j- How many categories of child labourers are exists in society. k- What are the nutritional issues of the children? Q-3 – Answer within 250 words a- Define vulnerability and discuss the types of vulnerability existing in our society. b- What are the factors associated with vulnerable child? c- Explain the different issues related to vulnerable child. d- Define trafficking and describe different types of child trafficking. e- Explain the causes of child vulnerability. f- Define child labour and discuss the types of child labour and their issues. g- What is child abuse? Discuss the different types of child abuse. h- What are nutritional issues of a child? i- Mention the legal aspects of a vulnerable child. j- What are the unethical aspects connected with child labour? 1.9 Suggested Reading 1- B.K. Panda and Sukanta Sarkar ,Vulnerable Children Human Rights Perspectives, by Kalpaz Publications; First Edition (1 January 2015). 2- Deborah J. Johnson (Editor), DeBrennaLaFaAgbényiga (Editor), Robert K. Hitchcock (Vulnerable Children: Global Challenges in Education, Health, Well-Being, and Child Rights, Springer; 2013th edition (15 May 2013). 16  Semester-V Vulnerable Sections of Society: Understanding their issues 5.2 Issues Relating to Elderly Persons 1.0. Objective 1.1 Introduction 1.2 The Silver Line – Understanding the Demography 1.3. Issues and Needs of Elderly in India 1.3.1 Abuse of Elders 1.3.1.1 Physical Insecurity 1.3.1.2 Loneliness and Social Insecurity 1.3.1.3 Financial Insecurity 1.3.1.4 Health Care Issues 1.3.2 Needs for a Happy and Dignified Ageing 1.4 The Legal Framework 1.5 Need of the hour: How can we make a difference? 1.6 The Main Takeaway 1.7 Let us Sum Up 1.8 Key Words 1.9 Check Your Progress 1.10 Suggested Reading 1 1.0 Objectives  Students will have an understanding of the overall demographic parameters related to the elderly in India.  Students will be sensitized on various issues and problems that senior citizens undergo in Indian society.  Students will develop knowledge about the legal framework and the institutional system available to address issues of the elderly in India.  Students will be sensitized to the role of the youth and the family members in addressing issues of the elderly in India. 1.1 Introduction Growing and ageing is a natural process that every individual experiences. Today, the world houses 727 million persons aged 65 years or over (World Population Aging Report, 2020). They are known as the elderly population or the greying population. A more dignified word, senior citizens, is also used to describe them. As all of us know when individuals grow in age, there is a progressive decline in their physical and cognitive abilities. This makes older adults frail and they lose more and more control over their own daily activities and their dependence on others increases. This losing ability and agility on the one hand and the need for others’ support on the other makes the people surrounding them, neglect them, ignore them, isolate them, and exploit them. This brings them myriad disadvantages like getting adequate nutrition, housing, health care, and physical and economic security. All these together make them a vulnerable section of the society. We often forget that these are the people who contributed largely throughout their life in building our family, society and the nation in their own way, but after arriving at “old age” they are mostly left alone to themselves. A Realization We Need to Have We must love and respect our old people. Our parents and grandparents need your love and care. In old age, people don’t have much capacity to do, so they begin to feel lonely. They need our company. Old people become physically weak and inactive. Old age affects their mental health also. They become irritable and demanding like children. They seek our attention as a child does. Young people often do not understand this change in behavior of elderly people. Old age is the most difficult part of life’s journey. If we keep our old people well and cheerful, they will always feel young and happy even in their old years. So, Jimmy Buffet commented: "Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been created." Besides physical care, old people need our company. We just need to sit with them and give them our company. We have to make old people feel they are not an unnecessary burden, but are most wanted and loved. Let us give the old a feeling that we look forward to them for their advice and guidance in life. We need to make them feel wanted, respected, loved and cared for. Let us keep our elders well and cheerful if we want their guidance and earn their blessing in life. 2 In order to have this realization, this section aims to give you an insight into the various issues and vulnerabilities that the elderly face in our society. This would also focus on your role and responsibility as a society and nation to help our elderly lead a happy and dignified life in their later years. In this section, we shall be using the word “aged”, “elderly” and “senior citizens” interchangeably to refer to people who are 60 years old or above. 1.2.The Silver Line- Understanding the Demography When we think of the term “silver line”, generally something glittering, shinning comes to mind. Yes, we are going to talk about the “silver line” that must shine bright in the population graph of our country, about people who attained age of 60 years and above. Here, we are going to discuss about the ageing and greying population in our society – our elderly. Before getting into the various aspects of old age challenges and issues, let us understand who is a “senior citizen” or “elderly” or “aged” as we commonly refer to. In general, people who have retired are known as senior citizens. This is presumably because currently the most common official age of retirement in India is 60 years (barring few exceptional professions or state-specific announcements). Previously the common age of official retirement was 58 years. Now, there are recommendations from various schools of thought to increase the official age of retirement keeping in mind factors like growing elderly population and the burden on economy to manage their social security and other needs, the active physical and mental condition of elderly in addition to the skill set, and the knowledge and experience they possess, which can contribute to overall development of the country and knowledge base of the society etc. Do you know?  The UN defines a country as an “ageing” or “greying nation” where the proportion of people over 60 reaches 7 per cent of the total population (World Population Ageing Highlights, 2017).  As per the latest estimate at a global level, by 2050 there will be 2 billion people aged over 60 years contributing to 22 per cent of the world population. (International Silver Economy portal, 2020).  A report prepared by World Health Organization in 2021 suggests that within a span of 35 years, i.e., between 2015 and 2050 the world’s 60-plus population will have a hike of 10 per cent, i.e., from 12 per cent to 22 per cent.  The 80-year plus population is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 and will touch a figure close to 426 million.  Low and middle-income countries are expected to become the hub of 80 per cent of the world’s elderly population. 3  However, from all the above discussions, one thing is clear that age of official retirement is not the threshold to legally define one person as senior citizen. Traditionally, the United Nations and most researchers have used measures and indicators of population ageing that are mostly or entirely based on people's chronological age, defining older persons as those aged 60 or 65 years or over1. Various countries have framed different age criteria to legally define “senior citizens” in their countries. For example, in many countries, including Japan, the elderly are defined as having a chronological age of 65 years or older. The only reference that we have in India related to legal definition of ‘senior citizen’ is in the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens’ Act 2007 (MWPSCA, 2007). This Act defines a “senior citizen” as ‘any person who is a citizen of India and has attained the age of 60 years and above’. Currently, this age is being referred to devise various policies, schemes and systems for senior citizens in India and is the common notion of referring a person as a senior citizen in India. The growth in elderly population may be due to the longevity of life achieved because of economic well-being, better healthcare and medical facilities and reduction in fertility rates. The general population has grown by 12.4% during 2011-2021 in comparison to around 18% in earlier decade while the elderly population grew by 36% each in the last two decades (2001-2011 and 2011-2021). High growth rate in elderly population vis-à-vis the general population was observed earlier also in the two decades between 1961 and 1981. Life expectancy gives us a good idea about the general health status of the people. At a particular age, life expectancy is the number of years a person is expected to live, on an average, after attaining that particular age. It takes into account the expected mortality experiences during the whole life cycle of an individual, which depends on the availability of health facilities, nutritional level of the people, etc. With the rapid advancement in medical science and technology it has now become easier to control various dreaded diseases which were the cause of high mortality earlier. This has resulted in a continuous increase in the life expectation. Life expectancy at birth in the country has increased in rural as well as urban areas. In rural areas, it has increased from 48 years in 1970-75 to 68 years in 2014-18, while in urban areas it has increased from 58.9 years to72.6 years. At the age of 60 years, during the same period, it has increased from 13.5 to 17.6 years in rural areas and from 15.7 to 19.4 years in urban areas. According to Population Census 20112, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons (aged 60 years or above) in India; 53 million females and 51 million males. According to the Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036, there are nearly 138 million elderly persons in India in 2021 (67 million males and 71 million females) and is further expected to increase by around 56 million elderly persons in 2031.Both the share and size of elderly population is increasing over time. A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and HelpAge India suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026. 1 https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WorldPopulationAgeing2019- Highlights.pdf 4  The Trend in Elderly Demography in India  From 5.6% in 1961, the proportion of elderly to total population has increased to 8.6% in 2011. The proportion has increased to 10.1% in 2021 and is further likely to increase to 13.1% in 2031. As per 2011 census, 71% of elderly population resides in rural areas while 29 % stays in urban areas.  The per cent of literates among elderly persons has increased from 27% in 1991 to 44% in 2011.The literacy rates among elderly females (28%) is less than half of the literacy rate among elderly males (59%). This clearly informs us that above 50% of all elderly in India today are not literate.  The life expectancy at birth during 2014-18 was 70.7 for females as against 68.2 years for males. At the age of 60 years, average remaining length of life was found to be about 18.2 years (17.4 for males and 18.9 for females) and that at age 70 was 11.6 years (11.1 for males and 12.1 for females). With rise in life expectancy at birth, people are expected to live longer in our country.  The most prevalent disability among elderly persons is locomotor disability followed by hearing disability and visual disability.  If we observe the marital status among elderly, in the age - group of 60 - 64 years, 76% persons were married while 22% were widowed. Remaining 2% were either never married or divorced.  Ageing and women: Women issues are also of paramount importance in considering social policies for elderly population. Due to better life expectancy, women live longer than men. Exacerbated risks for women across their life course make them more vulnerable in old age. Appropriate care and support for them is a priority area.  The percentage of female elderly persons (60 years and above) staying in other’s houses is more than double vis-à-vis male elderly persons. Also, the percentage of female elderly persons living alone not as an inmate of old age home is also much higher as compared to male elderly persons. The table below shows the Trend in Sex Ratio in the General Population and Elderly Population which clearly establishes the higher number of women elderly living alone, who need care and support. 2 https://www.mospi.gov.in/documents/213904/301563//Elderly%20in%20India%2020211627985144626.pdf/a4647f 03-bca1-1ae2- 6c0f-9fc459dad64c (Elderly in India, 2021 by Ministry of Statistics, Govt. of India) Trend in Sex Ratio (Number of Females per 1000 males) for the general and elderly population Population Census General Population Elderly population 1951 946 1028 1961 941 1000 1971 930 938 1981 934 960 1991 927 930 2001 933 972 2011 943 1033 2021(Projections) 948 1065 2031(Projections) 955 1085 5 Source: Population Censuses and Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections November 2019, Population. While the above statistics give glimpses about the status of elderly in our country, there is a lot more to think beyond these numbers. Moreover, the challenges and needs of Young Olds (60-to- 70-year age), Old Olds (70-to-80-year age) and the Oldest Olds (beyond 80 year of age) are also quite different and needs age-specific attention and intervention. Here, we are going to discuss the issues, challenges and sufferings in the life of above 10% of our population, who are above the age of 60 years. 1.3. Issues and Needs of Elderly in India Traditionally, India has largely been an agrarian economy-based society. The joint family system prevailed in these societies, where the older persons in the family had control over family’s financial transactions, social interactions and day-to-day affairs. They were respected the most in the family. Care and respect for elders in the family was part of the social value system in Indian culture and tradition. The decision-making power was held by the family’s eldest, who was often referred to as ‘the head of the family’. Similarly, in the village community, elders of the community enjoyed the position of head of the village, known as ‘panch’ – the decision-making and dispute-resolution body of the village. They were part of all kinds of social and political decision-making process of the village community/ society. Slowly, with the advent of industrialization, globalization and technological revolution, the joint family system is declining in most parts of India. The agriculture-based economy is fast moving towards technology and industry-based economy. Parents are now more willing to educate their children so that they are better placed in their life, both financially and socially. Children are opting to go for higher studies and job opportunities in far-off places, both inside the country and outside. While urban migration for education and career/ jobs is on the rise, there are also stories of distress migration for meeting the daily needs of poor families, which again pushes them to migrate to far-off places from their homeland. In this process, the left behind are the elderly in the family with a growing “empty nest” syndrome in our society. This remaining population of senior citizens, both in rural and urban settings, has its own set of issues and challenges, most prevalent being ‘feeling lonely’ ‘alone’ and ‘abandoned’. Older people who are lucky enough to stay with their children and other family members too face ‘loneliness’ and many other issues in their daily life. In this section, we will try to understand the various issues and needs of elderly who are very much there around us but mostly left behind, unheard and invisible to us. As we understand from the demography of senior citizens in India, that population of elderly is on the rise in India and they form the fastest growing segment in India’s population curve as well as the whole world. Technological advancements and progress in fields of medicine and healthcare has definitely contributed to increasing the longevity of human life on earth in the 20th century, but it has also brought miseries in the lives of the elderly who are often considered unproductive and a burden on the economy. This concept ranges from individual and family to the nation state, which further deprives older persons to lead a life with dignity. Let us try to understand this through the various insecurities and challenges being faced by the elderly in our country. While these issues are mostly inter-related, they form a vicious cycle. 6 1.3.1 Abuse of Elders The various forms of abuse faced by our elderly include emotional abuse, financial abuse/ economic exploitation, physical abuse, verbal abuse and sexual abuse/violence. Let us try to understand these forms in detail. For our understanding, they can be broadly categorized into the following forms of insecurity that the senior citizens face in their daily lives: A. Physical Insecurity B. Financial Insecurity C. Social Insecurity D. Health Care Issues Let’s discuss and understand these aspects of the elderly issues in detail: 1.3.1.1 Physical Insecurity Physical insecurity that the elderly face in today’s world should include physical health as part of it, but we will discuss ‘health issues’ in a separate section. Our focus here will be on the various physical barriers and challenges that elderly come across in day-to-day life. These include: a. physical abuse and neglect of senior citizens, b. crime against senior citizens, c. barriers in accessing services and institutions by senior citizens, d. lack of proper elder-friendly transportation services, e. digital divide being faced by senior citizens. In today’s globalized world, we come across many elderly who either stay alone or stay only with their spouse now-a-days, both in urban and rural settings. There are elderly, who we come across every now and then in social media, mainstream media or in our locality, who are abandoned by their children and other family members. There are senior citizens who are left to themselves in hospitals, temples, gurudwaras or places like that and no one cares what happens to them. While in some cases the children are staying at far-off places and the elderly are staying alone, in other cases, the children are not willing to take care and hence abuse and abandon them. Is this an ideal situation for the elderly to live a life with dignity and respect? There is elderly in our neighborhood, who though living with family are facing some or other kind of abuse and neglect on a regular basis. According to a study titled “Status of Elderly in Odisha-2011”, conducted by United Nations Populations Fund-India, one out of ten people above 60 years of age experience abuse in Odisha. This has a multiplying effect in further deteriorating the quality of life of senior citizens who are physically confined and socially isolated. Few surveys carried out by HelpAge India give us startling statistics on various forms of Elder Abuse and the perception of different people about the causes/reasons of elder abuse, over the past few years: 7  National Survey – A youth perspective on elder abuse (2015) by HelpAge India o 73% of India’s youth accept that elder abuse exists in our society. o 72.4 % of the youth feel that the topmost form of abuse in their experience is ‘using abusive language and talking rudely to an elder’ followed by 43.1%, who feel ‘elder abuse’ is giving the elder ‘the silent treatment, isolation and emotional abuse.’ o ‘Property and inheritance disputes’ emerge as the main reason for abuse at 53.2%. But what is interesting to note, is that 35.7% feel that ‘attitudinal and relationship issues’ is also an important reason. o 67.5% of the respondents at an all-city level said that ‘elders should stay social and active’ and 31.5% said they should ‘keep their finances organized’ as measures to prevent abuse. o 83% perceive that identifying elder abuse in the neighborhood is not difficult.  National Survey on “How India treats its Elderly” 2017- a HelpAge India report conducted in 19 cities in India revealed: o 44% elders have been abused in the public space at some time or the other, which is nearly 1 out of 2 elders. o 53% elders feel Indian society discriminates against them. o 64% elders say it’s easy to get away, despite being rude to elders. o 61% elders feel people get impatient with them since they are slow. o 52% elders feel people are ruder to them if they are not well-dressed.  Elder Abuse in India – Changing Cultural Ethos & Impact of Technology, 2018 - A HelpAge India report found: o Nearly one-fourth (25%) elders experienced abuse personally. o Nationally, the main abusers were son (52%) and daughter-in-law (34%). o More than 50% of the abusers were skilled workers and working professionals. o The most common form of abuse elders experienced was disrespect (56%), verbal abuse (49%) and neglect (33%). o Economic exploitation was 22% and beating and slapping was a disturbing 12%. They had been facing this since the past 5 years. o 82% of those abused, did not report the matter. The key reasons for not reporting - were to “maintain confidentiality (52%) of family matter” or “did not know how to deal with problem (34%)” suggesting lack of awareness.  The Silent Tormentor – COVID-19 and the Elderly - A HelpAge India Survey report 2021. o 43.1% elders said elder abuse is prevalent in society. 15.6% said they were victims of elder abuse. o Disrespect (45.6%) and beating /slapping (23.1%) were the main forms of abuse. o Main abusers were son (43.8%) and daughter-in-law (27.8%). Surprisingly, 14.2% said their abusers were their daughter. o 62.1% felt during Covid19 the risk of getting abused has increased. 8  o On a ranking basis - ‘emotional abuse’ (60%), ‘financial abuse’ (40%), ‘physical abuse’ (31%), ‘psychological abuse’ (18.6%) and ‘verbal abuse’ (17.9%). The slow degeneration of physical health and vulnerability of staying without family support puts them in a difficult position to meet their day-to-day needs. It also puts them at great threat to their life and property. The fear of occurrence of any crime against them prevails in their mind all the time and there are many instances where elderly living alone has been attacked and killed for robbing their valuables. Besides these reports, there are many stories in the media of various forms of elder abuse which ranges from higher to lower – all economic groups. The National Crime Records Bureau’s Annual Reports capture a glimpse of it. Elder abuse is a major concern for today’s society which demands immediate address through family care, political commitment and institutional support by the state. According to 2020 report of National Crime Records Bureau, the number of crimes against senior citizens that got registered was 24,349 (in 2018), 27,804 (in 2019) and 24,794 (in 2020). It is interesting to note that, even though 2020 experienced the Covid pandemic and series of lockdowns, the elderly was not spared. Murder, robbery, theft, abduction and even rape of senior citizens have been recorded as forms of crimes committed against them. These are officially recorded cases, whereas we understand that there are many vulnerable senior citizens who feel intimidated to go to police and register a case against the abuse or crime they face. Barriers to access schemes, rights, entitlements and services, referred to as “systemic barriers”, are also a great cause of physical challenge for senior citizens and come in the way of their access to various schemes and services and deprives them of their basic entitlements. Be it access to healthcare institutions, banks, post-offices, other public services, public transport system or the government offices for applying for any services or schemes, elderly face challenges in approaching all these places and services. Physical barriers such as lack of ramps in public buildings, no lifts in multi-story buildings, long queues at counters, no place to sit, no drinking water facility, no wheelchair facility, no toilet facility etc. pose a serious hindrance in senior citizens accessing the services by themselves. Barriers in infrastructure and transport services add to their misery. While the literacy level is as such low among the elderly, private and public offices, institutions, banks and other services going digital pose major challenge to include elderly in access to services. Digital literacy among elderly is a major lacking area. Cybercrime against senior citizens is on the rise and it’s in news on a daily basis. Lack of knowledge about digital medium and lack of support system is making them more vulnerable and, in many cases, they are losing the savings of their whole life. When the whole world was connected through digital platform during Covid, the digital divide put the elderly at bay and made them more isolated and lonelier. It’s pertinent here to mention “Elder Abuse in India – Changing Cultural Ethos & Impact of Technology” - A HelpAge India report 2018 which found that:  65% elderly stated that extreme attention given to phones/ computers is disrespectful. 9   73% elders felt that ‘their adult children are too busy on the phone even when at home with them.’  More than 60% elderly agreed that quality time spent by their adult children as well grandchildren with them has decreased with increase in usage of phones/computers.  78% elders agreed that social media had decreased their families’ personal time spent with them.  Only 4% elders themselves used the internet. Physical insecurity for senior citizens, thus, ranges from risk to life and property, isolation and neglect, abandonment, beating and slapping, disrespect, unwelcome or forcible sexual contact as well as verbal abuse. “We must give a serious thought to elder abuse and act against it NOW!” 1.3.1.2 Loneliness and Social Insecurity Loneliness and/or isolation added with ill health, family intolerance, urbanization and globalization-induced migration have increased the social insecurity of elderly manifolds. This social insecurity is coupled with physical, mental and emotional well-being of the elderly. With the advent of age and physiological changes in the body leading to ill health such as arthritis, paralysis or old age weakness, senior citizens mostly remain indoors and they slowly get isolated from the outer social life, family and friends. Within the family also they face isolation and are mostly confined to a corner in the house owing to many factors such as intolerance of family members, busy life schedule and over engaging digital life of family members, physical immobility and emotional dependence of elderly on their family members. Urbanization and globalization-induced migration have also left the elderly alone at home as their children and other family members stay out of the city or out of the country. All these lead to isolation, boredom and lack of social life and trigger loneliness of the elderly, which affects their overall mental and physical well-being adversely. Loneliness may lead to serious health-related consequences. It is one of the three main factors leading to depression (Green et al., 1992), and an important cause of suicide and suicide attempts. A study carried out by Hansson et al. (1987) revealed that loneliness was related to poor psychological adjustment, dissatisfaction with family and social relationships. Many people experience loneliness either as a result of living alone, lack of close family ties, reduced connections with their culture of origin or an inability to actively participate in local community activities. When this occurs in combination with physical disablement, demoralization and depression are common accompaniments. The negative effect of loneliness on health in old age has been reported by researchers (Heikkinen et al., 1995). The death of spouse and friends and social disengagement after leaving work or a familiar neighborhood are some of the ubiquitous life-changing events contributing to loneliness in older people. Those in the oldest age cohort are most likely to report the highest rates of loneliness, reflecting their increased probability of such losses. 10  A study by Max et al. (2005) revealed that the presence of perceived loneliness contributed strongly to the effect of depression on mortality. Thus, in the oldest old, depression is associated with mortality only when feelings of loneliness are present. Depression is a problem that often accompanies loneliness. In many cases, depressive symptoms such as withdrawal, anxiety, lack of motivation and sadness etc. mimic and mask the symptoms of loneliness. It is established that life expectancy of women is more than that of men. The number of widows in the higher age group is always As per Report of the Technical more than the number of widowers. As they age, women become more Group on Population and more vulnerable to isolation and neglect. They are expected to Projections for India and States take care of the family, do household chores, take care of the young 2011-2036, Marital status ones/ children in the family but they themselves are the most uncared among elderly: for when it comes to love, respect and care. In the event of death of spouse in Indian context, where marriage and family is sacrosanct, the In the age - group of 60 - 64 left alone person becomes weak psychologically. They miss the long- years, 76% persons were lived conjugal life, love and care of the spouse. Death of any one of married while 22% were the couples is devastating for the other and more so in case of the widowed. Remaining 2% were woman. Usually, old women on becoming widow feel more insecure either never married or and vulnerable in the family and in the society. Loss of life partner coupled with divorced. dependence on other family members leaves her with no choice of her own. It is also important to note that the general notion of “you are old” also discriminates elderly from being engaged in various activities of their choice such as watching movies, dancing and singing, going on destination tours, painting, cycling and other such things that they wish to and are capable of doing. This is termed as “ageism” which in simple terms means discrimination of a person based on his/her age. Let us remind ourselves that they are as human as we are and they possess the same human desires as we young people do. Confining them to prayers and spiritual activities alone is also a discrimination that we do out of our ignorance. In the second innings of their life, they should be encouraged and helped to pursue their hobbies, dreams and to lead an active and engaging social life. All the above factors lead to isolation, neglect of senior citizens at home and in the society, which pushes them to the dark corner of loneliness. Being alone is the greatest curse that any human being can think of. This loneliness leading to a sense of insecurity and withdrawal from the society adversely affects the physical and mental health of the elderly. Thus, from above discussion we understand that being socially engaged and active is very important for the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of the elderly. Spending quality time with family, relatives and friends adds life to their lives, which is actually lacking now-a-days due to ignorance of family members, lack of mobility of the elderly, dependence of senior citizens on their family members, emotionally and economically, and also due to the digital divide that is keeping elderly afar in a non-digital world. 11 1.3.1.3Financial Insecurity When we are in dire need of money for healthcare or any other emergency but we have no source to avail it from, we end up with compromising our health, our little wishes and withdrawal from society. In this situation, we are left with a feeling of insecurity and dependence on others. This feeling of insecurity due to lack of access to financial resources is common in senior citizens of India. The financial insecurity of senior citizens has various facets to it, ranging from economic dependence, property transfer, wills and legacies, lack of preparedness for old age, meagre pension and the vast unorganized sector to which most of them belong to. Ageing is inevitable. Everyone will go through this phase of life. It is important that everyone should plan and prepare for their old age. But, unfortunately most of us ignore this important aspect of preparedness. In most of the cases there are no savings, no place to live, high dependency on children and relatives and, most importantly, property is transferred to children or relatives with an expectation that they will take care of the person in their old age. Transfer of property to children has also been a major determinant in the treatment of elderly by their immediate family members in their later years. There are many instances where the elderly transfer the property to children and relatives in good faith but after the transfer, the elderly are left to fend for themselves. According to Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)3, 2018-19, about 65% of elderly men and 18% of elderly women in the age-group 60-64 years participated in economic activity. However, there is wider difference in rural and urban areas. In rural areas, 72% of elderly men and 21% of elderly women participated in economic activities whereas in urban areas, it was only 51% among elderly men and 10% among elderly women. Similarly, in the age group 65 years and above, participation in economic activity by the elderly male and female is seen to be at a much- reduced level. 3 https://cse.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/wp- content/uploads/2019/06/Annual_Report_PLFS_2018_19_HL.pdf With lower literacy rate among senior citizens, above 90% of them come from unorganized sector workforce with no pension, no provident fund and no economic security. They have to work till their last breath in order to live, mostly as daily laborers or unskilled workforce. We come across many of such cases in our daily life as vegetable vendors, tea sellers, sanitation workers etc. In general, in Indian lower- and middle-income families, the burden of financial crisis is always first compromised with the needs of the elderly in the family, whether it is healthcare, nutrition or any other small need such as spectacles or a book. While family members mostly focus on the needs of the children and adults at first place, the elderly also volunteer to part with their own need in these situations. The old-age dependency ratio climbed from 10.9% in 1961 to 14.2% in 2011 and further projected to increase to 15.7% and 20.1% in 2021 and 2031 respectively for India as a whole. For females and males, the value of the ratio was 14.9 % and 13.6% in 2011 and the projected dependency ratio for female and male is 14.8% and 16.7% respectively in 2021. The dependency 12 ratio of senior citizens carries higher implication to the economy of the family and the state and is also related to the abuse that the elders face. Economic dependence plays a major role in the life of elderly. If the elderly has money and property in their own name and others are dependent on them, then there are cases of abuse and violence pressurizing them to transfer the property or pay the bills of the younger family members. On the other hand, where the elderly has no money or property with them and are economically dependent on their children or relatives, they are abused and insulted for their dependence and they enjoy no independence, not even to purchase a cup of tea for themselves! As per study by HelpAge India (Elder Abuse in India, 2014 report), economic dependence of the elderly on family members accounts for 46% of elderly abuse, economic dependence of family members (/abusers) on elderly accounts for 45% of elder abuse and emotional dependence of elderly on family members accounts for 46% of elder abuse. Thus, whether it is economic dependence on the family or economic dependence of the family, in both the cases the elderly become victim of abuse and neglect. But well-planned financial security at old age is an ideal option for the elderly to meet their daily needs without being dependent on anyone and also to meet emergencies such as healthcare. Not all people are well placed to have a proper financial security at old age, for which care of family members as well as social assistance by welfare state are immensely important for ensuring a better life for the elderly. Economic dependence leading to financial insecurity in old age has detrimental effect on the mental, physical and social health of the elderly as it leads to neglect, abuse and social withdrawal. 1.3.1.4 Health Care Issues of Senior Citizens Going by NSS 75th Round: Social consumption on health in India during 2017-18, about 70 per cent of the aged persons had to depend on others for their day-to-day maintenance. The situation of elderly females was not encouraging as only 10% and 11% were economically independent in rural and urban areas respectively whereas the elderly males where much better off as corresponding percentage for males were 48% and 57% in rural and urban areas respectively. This economic dependence of the elderly on their family is a major deterrent in their health care. Let’s try to understand the various health care issues that senior citizens face with advancement of age. With ageing comes the natural degeneration of physical health of a person. With growing age, older people experience various anatomical and physiological changes. These changes bring many psychological, behavioral and attitudinal changes in them. Loss of physical strength and stamina become more acute as a person grow older and require systematic handling. Various diseases slowly begin to affect the body. Mostly the non- communicable diseases like high blood sugar, high blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, cancer, paralysis, hearing loss, cataract, loss of vision etc. are common in this age. The most prevalent disability among elderly persons is locomotor disability followed by hearing disability and visual disability. The other aspect of health that senior citizens face is mental health. The major mental health conditions at old age being depression, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s diseases etc. which demands proper care and support of family members as well as proper healthcare infrastructure to extend support in terms of treatment and counseling support to the elderly and their care givers as well. Comprehensive Geriatric Health Care becomes the need of the hour. But very few elderly in Indian context are economically sound to meet their healthcare needs and have family support to be taken care of. Lack of physical mobility, financial capacity to meet the healthcare cost, no 13 health insurance and support from family pushes the elderly to a corner and multiplies their vulnerability manifold. The willingness for the care of elderly and economic condition of the family members also decides the physical and mental well-being of the family. There are many instances where the deteriorating health of elderly and the need of care and dependence on family members have led to abuse and abandonment of elderly. The ignorance and neglect of elderly can be fatal, for e.g., if regular health check-up is not done, then non-communicable diseases such as high BP, diabetes remain undiagnosed for a longer period leading to paralysis and multiple-organ failure like situations. These conditions are preventable with timely diagnosis and regular medication. Cancer and palliative care needs are also quite prevalent among elderly which needs both preventive and curative healthcare service. While these are expensive, they are also not accessible or commonly available to the needy. One of the most neglected healthcare needs for elderly is cataract. This comes under preventable blindness category. About 1% of the population gets affected with cataract every year, most of them are above the age of 55 years. Cataract if not treated on time, can mature and make a person lose his/her eyesight forever. This is preventable with timely intervention. But either due to lack of information, knowledge, due to ignorance or due to lack of care for the elderly, many elderly suffer in their latter part of life due to cataract-induced blindness. Moreover, our healthcare infrastructure needs major changes in terms of affordable homecare services for bedridden patients, palliative care services, geriatric care facilities at health centers with geriatric specialists, extensive training, study and research on geriatric healthcare etc. Preventive healthcare need to be promoted for the elderly with annual health-checkup at subsidized cost or no cost for the senior citizens, which will reduce the burden of healthcare expenses and healthcare need of the elderly in the country. 1.3.2 Needs for a Happy and Dignified Ageing Mother Teresa once mentioned, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty in the world.” As per an estimate more than 50 lakh elders live all alone with no one to care for them in India. 1 in every 8 persons among the older population feel that no one cares if they exist; they grossly feel unwanted or of any value to anybody. The elderly in today’s society feel lonely, isolated and uncared for due to various reasons ranging from absence of family members to take care, busy life schedule of family members to abuse and abandonment of elderly by the family members. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that psychological and sociological factors have a significant influence on how well an individual is ageing. Ageing research has demonstrated a positive correlation of someone’s religious beliefs, social relationships, perceived health, self- efficacy, socio-economic status and coping skills, among others, with their ability to age more successfully. In the previous section, we discussed the various issues and challenges of old age that our elderly are facing in their day-to-day life in India. Central to all these issues and challenges was 14 the insecurity in the form of physical abuse and neglect, social insecurity, i.e., isolation, loneliness, financial insecurity and access to healthcare for the elderly. Ageism and people’s perception about old age also adds to the misery of elderly. All these together lead to an uncared and undignified life and its needs to change. All that is needed is love, care and respect for the elderly to lead a happy and dignified life. Let us discuss some examples from around the world in this context: Here, it is very pertinent to mention about the Blue Zones4 in the world here. There are five such geographic locations in the world where most of the people are centenarians, i.e., aged above 100 years. Average life expectancy at birth for these locations is above the age of 100 years! Isn’t it interesting! You may explore Google ‘blue zones’ to know more about them. Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder, is a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times bestselling author. They have discovered five places in the world – dubbed blue zones – where people live the longest, and are healthiest. The concept of blue zones grew out of the demographic work done by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain outlined in the Journal of Experimental Gerontology, identifying Sardinia as the region of the world with the highest concentration of male centenarians. Pes and Poulain drew concentric blue circles on the map highlighting these villages of extreme longevity and began to refer to this area inside the circle as the blue zone. Building on that demographic work, Dan pinpointed other longevity hotspots around the world and dubbed them blue zones. Let Us Remember The five designated blue zones in the world are: 1. Okinawa Island in Japan 2. Sardinia in Italy 3. Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica 4. Ikaria in Greece and 5. Loma Linda in California The blue zone regions are home to some of the oldest and healthiest people in the world. Although their lifestyles differ slightly, they mostly eat a plant-based diet, exercise regularly, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, get enough sleep and have good spiritual, family and social networks. If you look at four of the major dietary quality scoring systems, which have all been associated with extending lifespan and lowering heart disease and cancer mortality, they all share only four things in common: more fruit, more vegetables, more whole grains, and more nuts and beans. 4 https://www.bluezones.com/exploration/okinawa-japan/ Here we will try to understand the longevity of one of these blue zones, i.e., Okinawa Island of Japan. 15 Despite years of hardship, Okinawans5 have established a lifestyle and environment to live long, healthy lives. Follow these common centenarian practices to promote your own longevity. 1. Embrace an ikigai: Older Okinawans can readily articulate the reason they get up in the morning. Their purpose-imbued lives give them clear roles of responsibility and feelings of being needed well into their 100s. 2. Rely on plant-based diet: Older Okinawans have eaten a plant-based diet most of their lives. Their meals of stir-fried vegetables, sweet potatoes and tofu are high in nutrients and low in calories. 3. Get Gardening: Almost all Okinawan centenarians grow or once grew a garden. It’s a source of daily physical activity that exercises the body with a wide range of motion and helps reduce stress. It’s also a near-constant source of fresh vegetables. 4. Eat more soy: The Okinawan diet is rich in foods made with soy, like tofu and miso soup. Flavonoids in tofu may help protect the hearts and guard against breast cancer. Fermented soy foods contribute to a healthy intestinal ecology and offer even better nutritional benefits. 5. Maintain a moai – the social network: The Okinawan tradition of forming a moai provides secure social networks. These safety nets lend financial and emotional support in times of need and give all of their members the stress-shedding security of knowing that there is always someone there for them. 6. Enjoy the sunshine: Vitamin D, produced by the body when it’s exposed on a regular basis to sunlight, promotes stronger bones and healthier bodies. Spending time outside each day allows even senior Okinawans to have optimal vitamin D levels year-round. 7. Stay active: Older Okinawans are active walkers and gardeners. The Okinawan household has very little furniture; residents take meals and relax sitting on tatami mats on the floor. The fact that old people get up and down off the floor several dozen times daily builds lower body strength and balance, which help protect against dangerous falls. 8. Plant a medical garden: Mugwort, ginger, and turmeric are all staples of an Okinawan garden, and all have proven medicinal qualities. By consuming these every day, Okinawans may be protecting themselves against illness. 9. Have an attitude: A hardship-tempered attitude has endowed Okinawans with an affable smugness. They’re able to let difficult early years remain in the past while they enjoy today’s simple pleasures. They’ve learned to be likable and to keep younger people in their company well into their old age. 5 Blue Zones: Lessons For Living Longer From The People Who’ve Lived The Longest by Dan Buettner, copyright 2008. 16  These nine mantras have been critical in helping the elderly in Okinawa and other blue zones active and helped them in leading a happy life and in healthy ageing and graceful ageing. It clearly demonstrates the role of being active personally and socially is very important in everyone’s life. And it is always important to have a strong social security net for the elderly to lead a life with dignity and respect. 1.6. The Legal Framework A. International Level The United Nations adopted the 1st International Plan of Action on Ageing in Vienna in 1982, and it was in 1991 that the General Assembly adopted the UN Principles for Older Persons (Resolution 46/91) and its four main themes - independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity. The Committee on Economic, Social and Culture Rights adopted the general comment on the Economic and Social, and Cultural Rights of Older Persons. The year 1999 was declared as “the International Year of Older Persons” by United Nations. In 1999, with the International Year of Older Persons, came the Conceptual Framework based on the Plan and Principles with four priority areas (i) the situation of older persons, (ii) individual life long development, (iii) the relationship between generations, (iv) the inter-relationship of population, ageing and development. The 2nd World Assembly on Ageing (WAA) had adopted unanimously a Political Declaration and an International Strategic Plan of Action on Ageing in Madrid in 2002. The 2004 report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly recommends “assigning full-time focal points on ageing and providing them with adequate resources to further implementation”. The United Nation has declared October 1 every year to be observed as “International Day of Older Persons (IDOP)”. The International day of older persons is celebrated every year on October 1. United Nations Principles for Older Persons6, adopted by General Assembly resolution 46/91 of 16 December 1991, bearing in mind the standards already set by the International Plan of Action on Ageing and the conventions, recommendations and resolutions of the International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organization and other United Nations entities encourages governments to incorporate the following principles into their national programmes whenever possible: 1. Independence  Older persons should have access to adequate food, water, shelter, clothing and health care through the provision of income, family and community support and self-help.  Older persons should have the opportunity to work or to have access to other income- generating opportunities.  Older persons should be able to participate in determining when and at what pace withdrawal from the labour force takes place.  Older persons should have access to appropriate educational and training programmes.  Older persons should be able to live in environments that are safe and adaptable to personal preferences and changing capacities.  Older persons should be a