It is with great pleasure that the International Federation of Social Workers joined with NGO’s and others from around the world in an attempt to advance the rights of older women’s ! After decades of lobbying, women of all ages at the UN have convinced the Convention to End all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to include this category as a General Recommendation. We are proud that Ferdous Ara Begum, the CEDAW expert from Bangladesh, responded to our concern about older women’s rights and at the upcoming October meeting in Geneva of CEDAW, the expert Committee will continue its consideration of a General Recommendation to require States Parties (governments) to provide information about the status of older women in their countries.
IFSW President Gary Bailey said in endorsing the letter which will go to CEDAW that “there are so many issues and human rights abuses that older women confront worldwide including poverty , abandonment, loss of inheritance, physical and emotional abuse,as well as forced migration,inadequate housing, and a lack of access to health care. We endorse the general recommendation on older women and the protection of their human rights . We would also like to draw your attention and that of other NGO’s to IFSW policy statements on Ageing as well as our newly revised International Policy on Women. IFSW also wishes to thank Georg Dimitz and Christine Petioky for their work on this important issue”.