‘Action not talk’: BARP eyes legal changes to protect seniors

The Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) declared Friday that 2024 will be a pivotal year of legislative action rather than “talk” to safeguard the rights and protection of the elderly.

Elder abuse tops the list of issues that BARP president Marilyn Rice-Bowen said she was confident would be addressed by crucial legislation aimed at shielding the elderly from a variety of forms of maltreatment.

“We have been meeting with the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs and they are at an advanced stage of getting elder abuse legislation drafted and prepared for debate in the House of Assembly,” she told Barbados TODAY. “We need the elder abuse legislation to protect our elders. It will protect them from financial abuse, from physical abuse, from abandonment. The legislation will give the authorities the teeth they need to make sure that our seniors can live their lives in indigence and dignity.”

Highlighting a significant challenge, Rice-Bowen pointed to the lack of clear data on elder abuse, partly attributed to the absence of specific legislation criminalising such acts. She emphasised that despite widespread discussions, elder abuse remains undefined in name and is not yet a criminal offence in Barbadian law.

“We are determined to see this legislation passed in 2024, providing our seniors with the assurance that they will be protected by the law. Talk alone cannot protect them; legislation will. It will empower authorities to take legal action in cases of abuse, abandonment, or financial misconduct,” the BARP head said.

“Talk can’t. The legislation will because it will give the authorities the requisite teeth to make sure that in cases of abuse, cases of abandonment, cases of physical or financial abuse, they can face the law court.”
(RG)