The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) is to partner with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to promote dignity of senior citizens and tackle related abuses against them.
This is contained in a statement on Saturday by Omini Oden, Head of Public Affairs, Media and Communication of NSCC, on outcome of a closed door meeting by the centre and the commission at the NHRC headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, the centre’s collaboration with NHRC as one of the key human rights redress and remedy institutions in the country is a strategic to stem abuse of elders at all levels.
He quoted Dr. Emem Omokaro, Director-General of NSCC in advocacy mission to the commission to have introduced the “Anti-elder Abuse Community Response Squad” initiative.
Omokaro said, “When operational, the squad will leverage on the spread of the commission to receive complaints on elder abuse based human rights violations and provide speedy and adequate redress.
“The ”Anti-Elder Abuse Community Response Squad” shall be community-based and will be equipped for elder abuse prevention, response and remedy in all its forms including legal representation.
“We appeal for institutionalisation of joint technical working group that will put mechanism in place for the operationalization.
“Creation of NHRC/NSCC focal officer, capacity building and strategic operation procedure within Memorandum of Understanding.”
Oden also quoted Tony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary of NHRC, as saying that with the centre in place; there would be reconstruction of people’s mindset to begin to see issues of older persons from the standpoint of human rights.
“There will be unfettered access and cooperation between the commission, and the centre, towards achieving core mandate bothering on human rights abuse,” Ojukwu said.
Oden further said that the strategy development zonal stakeholder consultative fora by the centre for the northern and southern regions with 10 years strategic plan held in Kano for northern region and in Lagos for the southern region.
He mentioned that the fora were organised by the centre in collaboration with Expanding Social Protection for Inclusive Development (ESPID). (NAN)