A conspectus of legal recognition and protection of elderly rights in international law, Malaysian law and shariah perspectives

In the past years, the world has witnessed a remarkable interest in the elderly. Many international conferences and symposiums were held to deal with the issues and problems they encounter. There are almost six events created by UN related with ageing society namely: 1. Vienna International Plan for Ageing (1982) 2. UN Principles for Older Persons 3. International Day for Older Persons 4. UN Proclamation on Ageing 1992 5. International Year of Older Persons 1999 6. Madrid International Plan of Ageing 2002 In spite of these efforts older people’s rights are mostly invisible under international law. Despite the existence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, older people are not recognised explicitly under the international human rights laws that legally oblige governments to realise the rights of all people. Only one international human rights convention, which is the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, mandates against age discrimination. The only Convention that specifically deals with rights for elderly is Hague Convention on the International Protection of Adults which was made in 2000