English Project

Index
1) Introduction
2) Causes of Disrespect/cruelty against Old aged
Parents/Senior Citizens
3) Case Study – 1
4) Case Study – 2
5) Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and
Senior Citizens Act, 2007
6) Documentary
7) Help Age India
8) Conclusion
9) Bibliography
Introduction
The rights of older persons are the entitlements and
independence claimed for senior citizens (i.e. above 60 years of
age). Elderly rights are one of the fundamental rights of India.
The International Day of older persons is celebrated annually
on October 1.

The 2001 census of India demonstrated that aged people in

India have crossed over 100 million. Many older people in India
are not alert about the human rights of older persons, due to
high occurrence of illiteracy and lack of alertness. Elder
illiteracy directly contributes to a lack of knowledge regarding
the human rights for older people in India, and contributes to
the infringement of those rights.
Elder abuse is "a single, or repeated act, or lack of
appropriate action, occurring within any relationship
where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm
or distress to an older person." This definition has been
adopted by of the World Health Organization (WHO) from a
definition put forward by Action on Elder Abuse in the UK.
Causes of Disrespect/cruelty against Old aged
Parents/Senior Citizens
*Hectic and busy schedule create a reluctance to take care of
parents in Old age.
* Financial liabilities/loan repayments from parents to
children, create a negative mentality.
* Neo Capitalistic society creates millionaires and lower middle
class.
* Millionaire families handover financial support to next
generation whereas middle class handover liabilities.
* Covid and Post Covid society emancipates a negative
approach, related to health issues and medical expenses for
senior parents as an unnecessary liability.
* Global economic crisis, inflation- leads the new generation to
be more selfish, greedy, workaholics, reckless/senseless
spending, exhibitionists etc...humanism is drastically spiraling
down...emerges a thought how to cut short the financial
liabilities...which may lead to disrespect ,negligence some
cases even to cruelty towards senior members.
These are the most common causes which leads to not only
harassment but abuse neglect violence cruelty and sometimes
even leads to murder.
Case Study- Movie that dives into new generation
to be more selfish, greedy, workaholic son that
show disrespect and neglect towards his old age
father
The critically acclaimed Malayalam movie which bagged three
Kerala state awards Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 which
was released in India on 8 November 2019. It received critical
acclaim and was one of the commercially successful Malayalam
films released in the year.

Story of a conventional, conservative small town villager and his

son who has to move away from home due to his profession.
Their relationship gets an endearing twist when an AI humanoid
enters their lives and fills in their emptiness.
The story puts a limelight into the Hectic and busy schedule
which create a reluctance to take care of parents in Old
age and the plight of old age people.
 Case Study
Thrissur woman kills mother over property
dispute, attempts to poison father...
Published: August 24, 2022 09:36 PM IST Updated: August 25, 2022
08:48 AM IST

In a shocking incident in Kerala that brings back the horrors of

the Koodathayi murder case, a 39-year-old woman, Indulekha,
allegedly killed her mother by adding rat poison in her tea for
inheritance.
A woman poisoned her mother over a property dispute in
Kunnamkulam here, the police said on Wednesday. Rukmini
(57), the wife of Kizhur native Chandran, had died Tuesday
evening. The post-mortem has revealed the cause of death as
poisoning. Rukmini's daughter Indulekha (39) was taken into
custody by the police for interrogation.
She also tried to poison Chandran by poisoning his tea. But he
refused to drink the beverage after sensing a foul taste, police
said. She allegedly used the pesticide used for cockroaches.
Police sources have confirmed that Indulekha confessed the
crime.
According to the police, Indulekha had an outstanding gold loan
of Rs 8 lakh against her jewellery. Her husband who works
abroad was unaware of this. Indulekha feared that her husband
would enquire about the gold when he visited Kerala on August
18.
It is alleged that Indulekha gave poison to her mother after the
latter refused to hand over her property comprising a house in
14 cents at Kizhur in Kunnamkulam.

Case against son under maintenance act for

neglecting parent
The first case under the act was filed in November 2011 by
Siluvai (age 84) and his wife Arulammal (age 80) of Tuticorin
against their son and daughter-in-law for neglect, besides taking
away their two homes and gold jewellery.

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and

Senior Citizens Act, 2007
Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act,
2007 is a legislation, initiated by Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment, Government of India to provide more
effective provision for maintenance and welfare of
parents and senior citizens. It makes it a legal obligation for
children and heirs to provide maintenance to senior citizens
and parents, by monthly allowance. It also provides simple,
speedy and inexpensive mechanism for the protection of life
and property of the older persons.

Behind Closed Doors; India's Elderly are

Abused and Neglected
“Abandoned, beaten up and sometimes, left on the road to
fend for themselves. Elderly in India lead a very different
life than the ideal one we see in Hindi films. The Quint
decided to investigate the complex web of issues around
elderly abuse. India is ageing, but do we care enough?” -
Documentary by the quint
More than 50% old people reported abuse in 2014. The
documentary dives into the life and story of old people living in
the old age home located in Gurgaon
Bittan – 85 years (elderly abuse survivor)
E P Cain – 85 years (elderly abuse survivor)
Kamlesh Dutta – 71 years
Sunder Lal – 75 years
Although the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior
Citizens Act, 2007 are used by only few while others do not
complain due to shame, affection and financial independence.
Rakhi, a caretaker shares the heart wrenching experiences
where an elderly man was even too tired to get out of the car
seat while his son beat him out. She also expressed another
event where upon calling the son of a passed father was asked
to cremate him by themselves as he couldn’t come and spend
or collect his father’s body.

Help Age India

HelpAge India is an Indian organization focused on the concerns
of elders. Established in 1978, its mission is “to work for the
cause and care of disadvantaged older persons and to
improve their quality of life”.

HELP AGE advocates for their needs such as, for Universal
Pension, quality healthcare, action against Elder Abuse and
many more at the national, state and societal level, with the
Central and State governments. It runs various Age care
programs to service elder needs. The aim is to serve
disadvantaged elders in a holistic manner, enabling them to
live active, dignified and healthier lives.
Conclusion
The project not just dives into the neglected, ill-treated, abused
and abandoned lives of elderly people but to the alarming and
growing rate of elderly abuse and disrespect to them. We also
see that most of them are ill-treated and mistreated not just by
outsiders but by their own sons, daughters and daughter in
laws for the sake of inheritance, money and due to their
inability during old age.
Just like in Shakespeare‘s famous poem “Seven ages of Man”
how old age is described as second childhood so let’s ensure
that we remember that taking care of elderly people is just
equal to taking care of infants and treat them with respect,
care, patience and kindness as they finish their lives on Earth.

The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too
wide,
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly
voice,
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans
everything.
Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HelpAge_India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Case-
against-son-under-maintenance-act-for-neglecting-parents/
articleshow/10685847.cms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Maintenance_and_Welfare_of_Parents_and_Senior_Citizens_A
ct,_2007
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ6Zuxrt8xg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fvt6_cFiM0
https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/24/
thrissur-kunnamkulam-woman-poisoned-daughter-
accused.html