Commission Trains Officials To Combat Neglect Of Nigerian Elders

The executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr Tony Ojukwu, has stressed the need for stronger protection of older persons in Nigeria.

In an address delivered on his behalf by the commission’s director of Vulnerable Groups Department, Barr. Dahiru Bobbo, at a two-day capacity-building workshop for NHRC members of staff, as human rights defenders and advocates in combating elder abuse in Nigeria, yesterday at the Bukhari Bello Auditorium, NHRC Headquarters, Abuja, Ojukwu lamented that many elderly persons continue to suffer abuse and neglect in silence.

The workshop strengthened NHRC staff’s capacity to respond effectively to issues affecting older persons and promote the protection of their rights and dignity in the country.

The NHRC boss described the training as “timely and necessary,” noting that the increasing population of older persons globally and in Nigeria had also brought growing challenges of elder abuse.

According to him, elder abuse manifests in several forms, including physical and psychological abuse, financial exploitation, neglect and harmful practices.

“Older persons are not exceptions. They are rights holders entitled to dignity, equality and full protection under the law. Yet many continue to suffer in silence, often invisible within our communities and systems,” he said.

Ojukwu stated that the Commission remained committed to promoting, protecting and enforcing the human rights of all persons without discrimination, adding that older persons must not be left behind in the nation’s human rights protection framework.