Objectives of the report

The Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, Dr. Claudia Mahler, will focus her next report to the Human Rights Council in 2022 on older persons deprived of their liberty. Deprivation of liberty has a greater impact on older persons, particularly where they may already have other vulnerabilities due to chronic and complex health issues. In this report, the Independent Expert will aim at examining the existing international and regional legal standards applicable to the human rights of older persons deprived of their liberty, in public and private settings, in detention facilities, as well as, in care settings. She will also analyse the challenges faced by older persons deprived of their liberty, including in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report will identify and highlight good practices to ensure the respect and protection of older persons’ rights while being deprived of their liberty. Furthermore, the Independent Expert will analyse the issues related to older persons deprived of their liberty, from an intersectional perspective, in exploring the interactions with other social factors such as gender, sex, race, ethnicity, indigenous identity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, social status, place of origin and immigration status.

Key questions

In this regard and to inform her report, the Independent Expert would like to seek written inputs from relevant stakeholders, including national and local governments, national and international non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions, international and regional inter-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and entities, activists, academics, and older persons themselves.

She strongly encourages sharing concrete examples of good practices.

The Independent Expert welcomes any information, reports, legislation or other materials deemed relevant on these issues. She is particularly interested in the areas highlighted in the questionnaire available here:

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