A Kumasi-based not-for-profit organization has embarked on an exercise to help break the cycle of abuse of the aged in the Ghanaian society.
The Guardians of the Gray Masters Foundation wants the country to enact and enforce appropriate laws to protect the physical, emotional, sexual and economic abuse of the elderly.
“Any nation that does not recognize its heroes is not worth dying for. Our gray masters have paid their dues to their families and the nation, and therefore deserve our care and recognition rather than isolation,” Abigail Appiah, Executive Director of the Foundation said.
The Foundation engaged the youth to participate in an awareness creation exercise to commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day fell on June 15.
They embarked on a float through some streets in Kumasi to distribute flyers and held placards with messages to discourage elderly abuse in society.
The Foundation seeks to foster good interpersonal relationships and mutual respect between the young and the aged.
It also wants the government to create the legal environment that ensures the protection of the aged against abuses within the family circles and the entire society.
“As long as we are all ageing, we have the responsibility to protect our future because we are not going to be comfortable if we find ourselves in the same situation,” Abigail Appiah said.
Opanyin Adu Boahen who joined the campaign noted that stopping abuse starts with the inculcation of an attitude of respect for the elderly by the youth.
The Guardians of Gray Masters Foundation plans to establish a recreational center for the aged in the Ashanti region to cater for the needs of elderly.
By Kofi Adu Domfeh|3news.com|Ghana
