ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an overview of the advances in the area of the rights of older persons in order to elaborate on the possibilities of cross-fertilisation of the well-established rights of children and the continually developing rights of older persons. The introduction of the right for children to have their views heard in matters that concern them has been a cornerstone of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and has set a benchmark for subsequent treaties. Age-based discrimination is one of the principal struggles and even human rights violations of older persons. The right to health is explicitly recognised in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which states in Article 12 that there is a 'right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health'. An area where older persons often suffer discrimination is 'work'. Many older people experience verbal, sexual, psychological and financial abuse.
