ANTI ELDER ABUSE QUICK COMMUNITY RESPONSE SQUAD; NSCC UNDERWAY TO ACTUALIZE PARNERTSHIPS
Oru Leonard
The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) is to partner with the Legal Aid Council to ensure that senior citizens in Nigeria get unfettered access to justice across board.
According the NSCC Head of Public Affairs, Media and Communication, Mr Omini Oden, it will include removal of financial barriers and other obstacles irrespective of earnings when it involves senior citizens in Nigeria.
Notable among these hurdles are language barriers, financial constraints, distance, travel logistics, excessive delays and blacklog in judicial processes, gender bias, discrimination and entrenched ageism.
Director General of the National Senior Citizens Centre, Dr Emem Omokaro made the advocacy during a visit and interaction with the Legal Aid Council in Abuja.
Dr. Omokaro while applauding the Legal Aid Council’s presence in the six geo-political zones and all states of the federation said the centre will partner with the council to put in place a national technical working group that will develop an inter sector community mechanism that will address elder abuse through rapid response to the challenges of senior citizens.
When operational, the squad which will be known as the “Anti-Elder Abuse Community Rapid Response Squad” shall be comprised of community organizations and representatives of various interests, faith based organizations in the communities and security agency across the country.
The National Senior Citizens Centre she said will take advantage of the Legal Aid Council Community Legal Service which includes non-court advisory services, public awareness, mediation and other counselling services available in the act establishing the legal aid council.
Under this partnership with the Legal Aid Council, Dr Emem Omokaro said she looks forward to a Nigeria where the dignity of senior citizens will be respected and upheld at all times.
Director General of the Legal Aid Council, Aliyu Bagudu Abubakar said the move by the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) was reassuring and that the Legal Aid Council was available to work with NSCC to change the fortunes of senior citizens in Nigeria.
The Legal Aid Council he assured is for social justice for older persons and other vulnerable groups in the society.
It will be recalled that there has been increasing distressing reports of abuse and neglect of older persons within family settings and in communities and most of these abuses go unreported since older persons are voiceless and reporting mechanisms, structures and systems were not in place.
