Author(s): Esraa Mahmood Badr Alsamee
Owing to the piecemeal decrease in death rates and growth in life expectancy, the proportion of older individuals in the overall population worldwide is rising, catching many governments completely unprepared. In Iraq, the old persons are mostly outside the social and legal security sphere, leaving them at risk of abuse and neglect. While their rights are recognized by the Constitution, to protect these rights and to ensure that their needs and concerns are met, effective laws and regulations are not in effect. This paper acknowledges the insecurity of older people, highlights the human rights of older people, and calls for special care and the complete realization of their rights. The paper also seeks to analyze the steps taken by other nations, such as Egypt, Qatar and India, to secure the rights of the elderly and proposes to Iraq some of these initiatives. Therefore, this paper supports the timely development of policies and laws for the protection of older people.