Human rights project

Os hoffwch fynediad i'r wybodaeth yma yn Gymraeg, ewch i'r dudalen hon

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 or academic, but every day we encounter situations that relate to our human rights.

Age Cymru was funded from January to July 2022 to deliver a human rights project in partnership with the Welsh Government. The purpose of this project was to raise awareness of human rights, and to engage with older people across Wales to embed the message that older people are citizens and participants in society, who should expect to have their human rights upheld.

During the life of the project we:

• created Don’t Get Me Started, the short, animated film you can see at the top of this page. We worked with artists Jon Ratigan and Emma Prentice to animate interviews with six older people across Wales, allowing them to explore issues that are important to them
• developed an advocacy toolkit to be used by older people and anyone who advocates on behalf of older people. We hope that it helps to support informed discussions around human rights in conversations about health, social care, and housing. You can download this toolkit in English, and in Welsh
• shared our ‘Human Rights Are Lifetime Rights’ campaign across Wales, including on the sides of buses, pharmacy bags, and in hospital waiting rooms
• spoke to people about human rights at events across Wales, including at the MEC Health Fair and the Eisteddfod
• promoted the booklets co-created by Social Care Wales and the Welsh Government, Making Rights Work For Older People. This document is available in Welsh, English, and BSL. There is also guidance on understanding your rights as an older person, which includes case studies.

Our Chief Executive Victoria Lloyd said that, “In many areas of society such as health and social care and in shaping our local communities, not only are the rights of older people often overlooked, but many older people are also unaware of their rights.

We’re pleased to be working with Welsh Government to raise awareness of rights among older people and to help them understand where and when they can be used. We all have the right to live with dignity, to make our own choices, and to have our views respected.” 

Although the project has officially come to an end, a respect for human rights is embedded in everything we do. If you are part of a group and would like us to come and speak to you about human rights, please get in touch with us at HumanRights@agecymru.org.uk.

You can find out more information about human rights on this page: Human rights - why they're important | Age Cymru (ageuk.org.uk). 

If you want to speak to someone directly about your human rights, you can call our Age Cymru advice line. You can speak in Welsh or English, call us on 0300 303 44 98 charged at local rate (open between 9:00am and 4:00pm, Monday - Friday). Email us at advice@agecymru.org.uk.