The world commemorates World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 15 June each year with the aim of highlighting the rights of older persons, raising awareness of those rights, and eliminating all forms of neglect, abuse, and violence against them. This year’s theme is: “Beyond Awareness: Making Elder Abuse Prevention a Lived Reality.” The National Centre for Human Rights closely monitors the rights of older persons and has given significant attention to their rights as one of the groups most in need of protection since commencing its work on 1 June 2003.
In this context, the Centre notes that older persons have been granted constitutional protection under Article (6/5) of the Jordanian Constitution, which affirms that the law shall protect the rights of older persons and prevent abuse and exploitation. At the international level, human rights instruments include obligations relevant to the rights of older persons. The United Nations General Assembly also adopted the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing in 1982 and the United Nations Principles for Older Persons in 1991.
With regard to national legislation, the Social Development Law of 2024 was enacted to strengthen the rights of the groups covered by its provisions, including older persons, and to safeguard their human dignity. The law also regulates the social work profession and established the Social Protection and Care Fund. In addition, the Regulation on the Licensing of Nursing Homes and Private Clubs for Older Persons No. (98) of 2021 provides for the revocation of a home’s license in cases of serious violations affecting the security and safety of beneficiaries or exposing them to violence, harassment, or sexual assault. This was complemented by the issuance of the Elderly Care Regulation No. (97) of 2021 and the Instructions for Utilization and Expenditure from the Elderly Care Account of 2022.
At the policy level, the Jordanian National Strategy for Older Persons (2025–2027) was issued with the objective of promoting security, dignity, and well-being for older persons through pillars that include social protection, healthcare and social care, community participation, and the prevention of violence, abuse, and neglect. Procedural guidelines for personnel working in care homes for older persons have also been issued, a committee has been formed to implement the “Age-Friendly Amman” project, and initiatives have been launched to promote the integration of older persons into local communities, reflecting the growing attention given to the rights of this group in the Kingdom.
In this regard, the Centre calls for the expedited adoption of a dedicated law for older persons that would serve as a comprehensive legislative framework for the protection and promotion of their rights. It also calls for the establishment of effective mechanisms to detect and address cases of violence, abuse, and ill-treatment, whether within care institutions or within the family. Furthermore, the Centre emphasizes the importance of developing the care system and services provided to older persons through the establishment of government-run day clubs across all governorates of the Kingdom, improving the physical environment of care homes and making them accessible to older persons with disabilities, ensuring the availability of qualified professional staff, including social workers, psychologists, and support personnel, and rectifying the conditions of certain care homes and upgrading their facilities in line with applicable legislation to ensure the safety, security, and dignity of beneficiaries.
The Centre also calls for strengthening the financial sustainability of social care institutions by increasing financial allocations to entities concerned with older persons, reducing the operational burdens borne by care homes, and encouraging partnerships with the private sector and business community to fulfil their social responsibilities in supporting these institutions both financially and morally.
The Centre further stresses the importance of developing comprehensive national policies and plans addressing older persons in the fields of social protection, health, awareness-raising, education, employment, training, and family affairs. It also emphasizes the need to promote a participatory approach based on involving older persons in the development of plans and policies and in decision-making processes concerning them, while integrating their needs into national plans and strategies related to sustainable development.
Finally, the Centre underlines the necessity of enhancing training and capacity-building programmes for staff working in care homes and day clubs, and of studying the establishment of a specialized institute for elderly care staffed with qualified educators to serve as a foundation for the future development of home-care services. This should be accompanied by the implementation of specialized awareness programmes on the rights of older persons and the strengthening of the role of the media in promoting awareness of their rights and protecting them from all forms of violence, abuse, and neglect.
