Poverty: A challenge to the protection of human rights of older persons in the Republic of Croatia

Abstract

Poverty is traditionally studied from an economic point of view. However, along with the development of international human rights law poverty is increasingly becoming the focus of legal science; it is studied from the aspect of the protection of human rights and viewed as a result of structural and institutionalised inequalities and discrimination. Poverty is one of the leading problems older persons encounter worldwide, including in the Republic of Croatia. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to point to the problem of poverty of older persons as a form of human rights violation, but also to the lack of research on this issue, as well as to make recommendations for future research. Thus, the paper gives an overview of global and national demographic trends, analyses exposure of older persons in the Republic of Croatia to poverty and outlines the existing legal framework for the protection of the rights of the elderly at both national and global levels. The paper also draws attention to ageism and negative stereotypes and prejudices towards older persons that persist in society and affect the position of the elderly and highlights the need for a paradigm shift in relation to their role in society.

Keywords

• poverty
• older persons
• human rights
• discrimination
• international law