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During armed conflict, the rights of older people are often violated.

Human Rights Watch found that government forces and non-state armed groups have abused the rights of older people in countries all around the world.

In many cases older people have been executed, indiscriminately attacked, detained, tortured, raped, and had their property and communities destroyed.

Government forces and armed groups should respect international law and end abuses against older people.

 In Ethiopia in August and September 2021, Tigrayan forces briefly occupied Chenna village in the Amhara region, where they committed a series of summary executions.

‘’Just before they left, they took my father and great uncle outside the front of the compound. Two of them tied my father’s hands behind his back and then shot him. Four of them then shot my great uncle.”

In Mali, Human Rights Watch spoke to a 60-year-old shepherd, who had been detained in the Nampala military camp in 2015 and tortured by government forces. 

“They tied me and hung me upside down from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. They asked where the jihadists were; I said I only care about my animals. Then a soldier thrust his gun into my face with force. I lost half my teeth.”

In South Sudan, rape has been used by all sides to terrorize civilians. 

HRW spoke to a woman in her late 50’s who had been raped by a soldier during government operations in February 2019.

“He started shooting around me and then hit me with his gun and said, ‘Mama lie down, I want to have sex with you.’ I said, ’Why would you do this; I am a born again Christian and you are like my son.’ He beat me again and then forced himself on me.”

In May 2021, Israeli airstrikes destroyed scores of homes and businesses in the occupied Gaza Strip. Jawad Mahdi, 68, lived in a high-rise building there with dozens of family members.

“All these years of hard work, it was a place of living, safety, children and grandchildren… All our history and life, destroyed in front of your eyes. It’s like someone ripping your heart out and throwing it.‘’

When their communities come under attack, some older people stay to protect their property.  Others are unable to flee the violence.

In 2017, ethnic Rohingya who had fled Myanmar described security forces pushing older people who could not flee back into burning houses.

"I saw them push my husband's uncle into the fire. I saw them push him back into the burning house… …He is weak, maybe 80 years... I think they wanted everyone to leave and those that could not leave they put into the fire.”

Governments and non-state armed groups should ensure older people in conflict areas are provided with humanitarian assistance and protected from abuse.

UN bodies should include protection of older people in armed conflict in their work.

(纽约)- 人权观察今天发表报告指出,老年人在冲突期间受到人权侵害的风险较高。武装冲突的所有各方应该终止对老年人的侵犯,协助人道主义援助送达有需要的老年人。对于冲突期间老年平民的保护有必要提高,联合国安全理事会应确保联合国通过各项工作解决此一需要。

这份49页的报告,《无一幸免:武装冲突中对老年人的侵害》,说明人权观察自2013到2021年,在布吉纳法索、中非共和国、埃塞俄比亚、以色列与巴勒斯坦被占领土、马里、莫三比克、纳戈尔诺-卡拉巴赫、尼日尔、南苏丹、叙利亚和乌克兰等地所纪录,对于受武装冲突影响老年人的各种侵害模式。该报告并参照喀麦隆两个英语地区长期严重的暴力事件、缅甸安全部队对若开邦罗兴亚年长者的暴行,以及因叙利亚冲突逃往黎巴嫩的年长难民的经历。

“老年人在冲突期间面临各种严重侵害,包括即决处决、强奸和绑架,” 人权观察老年人权利高级研究员布莉吉特・斯利普(Bridget Sleap)说。“各国政府和联合国迫切需要认识到老年人的具体风险和援助需求,并采取行动加以保护。”

在世界各地的冲突中,老年平民经常遭受政府军和民间武装团体的攻击和严重虐待,包括非法杀害、即决处决、任意逮捕拘留、酷刑及其他虐待、强奸、绑架劫持以及摧毁其房屋、财产。造成老年人死伤的包括轻兵器、重武器、广域效果爆炸武器以及化学武器和其他违禁武器。若无法或拒绝逃离袭击,老年人往往面临更高的风险。

布吉纳法索和马里,伊斯兰武装团体、政府军和族裔民兵团体杀害了不计其数的老年人,包括德高望重者。 2022年1月27日,马里陆军在该国托纳村(Touna)处决了两名八旬长者及其他12人,目的显然是为报复两名士兵驾车遇土制炸弹身亡。

在南苏丹,一名50多岁强奸生还者表示,2019年2月政府军对叛军发动清剿时,有一名士兵强迫她背负劫获财物,并且用枪枝殴打她,对她进行多次强奸。

从2016年12月到2017年4月,叙利亚政府军战机进行了四次空袭,显然投下了包括沙林在内多种化学品制成的神经毒剂。据报导,许多老年人在此次空袭中遭化武杀害。

在交战期间,行动不便或有其他障碍的老年人常常因为无人协助逃跑而在战火临近时被抛下。 2017年,被迫离开缅甸的罗兴亚人谈到安全部队将无法逃走的老年人推回着火的房屋。“我看到他们把我丈夫的叔叔推入火窟。我看到他们把他推回燃烧的房子里,” 一位女士说。“他很虚弱,可能有80多岁⋯⋯我认为他们想把每个人都赶走,走不了的人就推到火里。”

有些老年人为了保护自己的财产,选择不逃离家园。 2020 年在阿塞拜疆,亚美尼亚人占多数的飞地纳戈尔诺-卡拉巴赫发生冲突期间,大多数年轻平民都跑光了,留下的绝大多数是老年人。其中一对年逾七旬的老夫妇艾瑞嘉(Arega)与埃都瓦(Eduard),也留在村里保卫家产。 10月间,阿塞拜疆士兵发现他们在家即予粗暴逮捕,起初关押在没有食物饮水的空屋,后来将他们移送阿塞拜疆首都巴库的拘留所。官员不准艾瑞嘉服用高血压药物。埃都瓦在拘留期间死亡,艾瑞嘉在他死后不久看到他的尸体。据艾瑞嘉形容,他的脸部发黑、发紫。

流离失所的老年人还可能面临虐待,以及获得人道主义援助的障碍。 2017 年在南苏丹,一名70岁的失明男性说,他在避难岛屿上无法得到援助。 “一些组织已经为老年人做登记,但我从未得到登记,因为他们没有来到我这个岛,” 他说。“这个岛上也没有诊所。我必须到另一个岛上或回到陆地,才能得到医疗援助。”

国际人道法(即战争法)认可在武装冲突期间保护老年平民。它要求在可行范围内将年长平民等人员安全移出军事目标附近,并根据年龄等因素为被拘押平民提供适当住所。老年人也随时随地受到相关国际人权法的保护。

“联合国各机构、和平维持特派团和人道援助者应确保所有保护与援助活动均将老年人及其特定需求包容在内,” 斯利普说。“老年人具有独特的保护需求,不应任其继续成为武装冲突中被忽略的受害者。”

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