A new report titled  'Legal Capacity & Informed Consent' by the UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons Claudia Mahler (pictured above) was presented to the United Nations General Assembly 

"I welcome the UN General Assembly resolution that concludes 14 years of work (by the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing) and paves the way for developing a convention to protect the rights of older persons. This is a vital step toward ensuring their rights are fully safeguarded" Volker Turk United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Quotes from Claudia Mahler's report:

"Structural ageism and discrimination against older people enable the continuation of policies and practices that restrict their legal capacity"

 'Strengthen contributory & non-contributory pension & social protection systems to ensure older persons experiencing poverty in retirement can effectively exercise their legal capacity & avoid financial dependency"

50sWomen feel that they are the embodiment of the kind of issues that this report addresses, as the quote above illustrates exactly what SHOULD have been in place BEFORE successive governments set about raising the State Pension Age for 1950s born women with no impact assessment, no proper notification and no reference to International Law CEDAW

Where were the policies to strengthen both contributory and non-contributory pension systems for 50sWomen, whose pension pots were about one fifth the size of men's following a lifetime of inequality in salaries and private pension schemes, coupled with reduced employment opportunities due to societal expectation that they would take the lion's share of caring responsibilities? 

Where were the social protection systems for 50sWomen, described by the late Frank Field MP as having been "grotesquely disadvantaged" by the changes to their State Pension Age, in breach of what many would argue is a social contract? 50sWomen had a legitimate expectation that they would receive their State Pensions at age 60.

As Hon Dr Jocelynne Scutt put it following publication of her Judge's Report on the CEDAWinLAW People's Tribunal:

"This was equalisation without consideration of equalities principles"

Financial crimes against older persons skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic

"The COVID 19 pandemic was a sobering testament to the reality that even when older persons are among the populations most affected by a crisis, emergency responses fail to adequately address their needs" Claudia Mahler

50sWomen have frequently asked why, with over 60s having been identified as "vulnerable" to COVID 19 by the World Health Organisation, they were given no support despite many of them being forced to work until age 66 in front line roles such as Health and Social Care, Education and Retail.

In emergency situations (like the cost of living crisis and current financial crisis perhaps?):

"Pre-existing abuses may also continue to affect older persons & grow in scale while public attention is diverted towards the crisis" Claudia Mahler

50sWomen are still reeling from the impact of 6 years loss of State Pension, which in many cases led to the depletion of any savings due to

• ageism in the workplace leading to reduced opportunities for employment and/or
• the increased caring roles of women in their late 50s and early 60s,

leaving many of them totally dependent on the State Pension as their only form of income 

Now it appears that as part of new "austerity" measures their vulnerable situation will be compounded by the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance for all but those on Pension Credit, the cut-off for which is about £3 below the full new State Pension, leaving those just above the threshold worse off than those below it due to the extra entitlements that receipt of pension credit brings

Up to 2m pensioners, mainly women, are likely to be pushed into poverty by this measure and will be forced to choose between eating and heating. 

There is no doubt that many 50sWomen have suffered added discrimination due to the intersection between ageism and sexism

The development, ratification and implementation of a convention to safeguard and protect the rights of older persons cannot come soon enough

Please add your name (if not already done) in support of this petition calling upon the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to attend mediation talks with CEDAWinLAW and share it widely