Discrimination And The International Covenant On Economic, Social, And Cultural Rights

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Discrimination is addressed in various treaties of international law, especially the main three, Universal declaration of human rights, the international covenant on civil and political rights, and the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights. E.g. under article two of the UDHR, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status’ . Similar restrictions are also evident in the other international conventions and treaties. However, discrimination based on age is rarely addressed within these laws and is often considered to…show more content…
In order to address this increasing form of discrimination, it is essential that the international law develops and includes the rights of older people within their main bodies. Whether this is through a new convention or by developing existing laws to address the rights of older men and women around the world. 1.1 Older Women When discovering the various altitudes of discrimination towards elderly people, what shines out the most is the discrimination towards elderly women. Women are often viewed as the caregiver for their families and friends. However, as they grow older they are considered fragile and as a burden by the people around them, often leading to older women being disowned by their families. It can be said without any doubt, that elderly women suffer and go through much more harsh living conditions than elderly men around the globe, as not only is their age targeted but also their gender. Speaking of demographics, what stands out the most is how there have always been more older women than men, but men still have more rigorous rights than women. Statistically, women have a longer life span, and thus many older women are left alone during their 60s . However, societal structures make it difficult for these women to live without relying on the men in their lives. Older women are not only facing discrimination at a societal level but also through every aspect. Older women in prison, older sex workers
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