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AGE CYMRU
Human rights are lifetime rights. As we age, we're still entitled to the same human rights that we were born with. The topic of human rights can sometimes sound abstract, but every day we encounter situations that relate to our human rights.
There is no age limit. This is the message that Age Cymru have been spreading across Wales through our human rights campaign. You might have already seen our message on pharmacy bags, on buses, and in hospitals in your area.
We’ve been working with the Welsh Government to raise awareness of the human rights of older people. Talking about human rights can sometimes sound abstract or academic, but every day we encounter situations that relate to our human rights. Older people are participants in society, and we should all expect to have our human rights upheld.
To start conversations about our rights we have produced a new short, animated film called Don’t Get Me Started.
Don’t Get Me Started
In our film you will see six older people from Wales being interviewed about what human rights mean to them. Our participants are from a wide variety of backgrounds and each of them brings their own unique life experiences to the conversation.
Amal, Louisa, Wyn, Jenny-Anne, Jeanette and Kay discuss topics such as dignity, discrimination, self-expression, and the right to use the language of your choice.
The film has been illustrated and animated by community arts practitioners Jon Ratigan and Emma Prentice, and it is introduced by Professor John Williams, Emeritus Professor of law at Aberystwyth University and Chair of Age Cymru.
Professor Williams introduces the film, saying that, “human rights do not diminish with age. As older people, we are entitled to the same human rights as all other generations.”
Louisa, a 70-year-old actor and union activist from Builth Wells says that “I have the same rights as anyone who is breathing the same air as I am…I have the right to be me.”
The film is part of the Welsh Government’s delivery plan for the strategy for an ageing society. Many of the points in the plan for making Wales a brilliant place to grow older are also echoed by the older people on camera; ensuring older people have choices, are safe from abuse and have access to community resources like toilets and parks.
Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan said that “We want to create a Wales where everyone looks forward to growing older and age is celebrated. Our Vision is for an age friendly Wales that supports people of all ages to live and age well. Too often getting older is linked to illness and decline and older people’s contributions to society are overlooked.”
“I always enjoy hearing from people about their experiences and no one should be overlooked due to age. This video is a reminder of how passionate older people can be about not letting age affect their rights and the vital place they still have in communities across Wales.”
Want to know more?
Members of Age Cymru’s engagement team will be showing the video at groups and events across Wales. We are excited to get out and speak to people about their rights! If you would like to invite them to a group that you are part of, please get in touch with HumanRights@agecyrmu.org.uk.
You can watch the film and find out about Age Cymru’s Human Rights Project in partnership with the Welsh Government, at our website: agecymru.org.uk/hawliaudynol.
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