I have noted with dismay at the rate our aged or should I call them senior citizens are being abused and in certain instances killed on suspicion that they are wizards or witches. Most of these aged are dying at the hands of some heartless and merciless young members, who in every sense of the word are supposed to protect them. Where are we headed as a society if the safety of these defenseless cannot be guaranteed? Where are our values of respect for human life?
Where are our values of respecting people who are older than you? Why young people sunken have so low that they can without compassion or feeling of pity literally abduct an old man and subject them to beatings and even burn them to death? Is this the society we want to create and leave to future generations? It hard to comprehend that such heinous acts are going unabated in our society. For how long are we going to seat back and what poor old defenseless senior citizens die at the hands of ill mannered and blood thirsty misfits our societies?
My Tuesday evening was spoiled when I saw a moving and touch scene on MUVI TV news of a group of young men and women torturing and beating a defenseless and tired looking old man in Ndola. It is believed that the man is a wizard who was found roaming the streets naked. This was the basis on which the suspected that the man was a wizard and they pounced on him and were ready to burn him alive had it not be for the quick intervention of the police.
Thank God! It later turned out that this poor old man has had a history of mental problems. And yet the assailants where by any means ready to shed his innocent blood? Anyone who saw that television clip will agree with me that that frail old man could not even hurt a fly and the only sin he had committed was having a mental illness that had affected his ability to not only reason with himself but with society aw sell. It can be recalled that another old woman in Kitwe’s Chamboli Township was brutally beaten by some people who accused her of being a witch. She later died as a result of the severe beating she suffered at the hands of her assailants. These are just peculiar or isolated cases but a recurrent trend that appear to be taking route in our society and in my considered view send a strong message that the aged and mentally sick people are not safe anymore.
This trend is highly disturbing and also goes to show the high levels of superstition in our society despite it being a Christian Nation. It is clear that older persons are being discriminated against at various levels in our society that include family, community, and even institutional level. In work environments, there are instances where older employees are usually accused being wizards on account that they do not want to leave employment and give way to the young ones and they consequently are a subject of all sorts of ridicule. On the other hand, at family and community, the old usually are left isolated and will be occasionally be visited. It is worse if they are living in an environment riddled with poverty. They end up on the streets and eventually are become victims of all sorts of scorn and accusations.
Zambia is a signatory to various international conventions and accords that seek protect old persons aged and the mentally challenged. The reason why Zambia scribes to such international conventions is because older persons have specific needs and requirements. One of the fundamental truths we have to face as a country is that life expectancy in Zambia has increased in addition; the population of the country is relatively youthful so at some point in future, Zambia may experience unprecedented demographic aging. The question now is would we be happy to be discriminated against based on our age? Would the future generations be justified to accuse of being wizards and witches just because our old and frail bodies?
It is high time our society started respecting the aged and on the other hand the law enforcement agencies clamped down on violence against the aged. It is clear that our society needs a lot of education in this area. We need to encourage a paradigm change of attitudes at all levels in the way our aged are viewed. After all, they are a source of wisdom! We also need to remember that the aged were once like us the young and soon we shall be like them so let us create a society devoid of discrimination against the aged and mentally challenged!
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