Law that forces Kids to Mind their Parents

Law in India forces kids to mind their parents
Tom Carney, North Shore News
Published: Sunday, February 10, 2008


What do you think about a law that says you must look after your parents or you'll go to jail?
Parliament in India has just passed a law stipulating a fine or three months in jail for children who neglect their parents. The law applies to adults whose parents are aged over 60.
That's right, in India, neglecting or abandoning mom or dad, or your elderly relatives will land you in the slammer. Roving maintenance tribunals have been set up to adjudicate cases and they render their verdict on the spot. And to deal with those pesky lawyers there is no appeal
There are 80 million elderly citizens in India and that number is expected to increase to 173 million by 2026. Apparently, the rapid economic development in India is breaking down family traditions. Elderly people are increasingly being regarded in India as a burden and are being abandoned. Some reports suggest that almost 30 percent of India's elderly are subject to some force of abuse or neglect by their families.
India is not alone here but they are the first country that I am aware of that has chosen to pass laws to protect the elderly. The act is called the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Seniors Citizens Bill 2007. India already had laws whereby parents could claim maintenance from their children but the procedure was too time consuming and slow.


Here's another wrinkle, if the elderly aren't taken care of after gifting property or other assets to their children, they get it all back. And, in a move which gives new meaning to the term, the long arm of the law, the legislation applies to all Indian citizens, including those living abroad. When I mention this legislation to seniors here, many of them think I'm joking. I'm not. One senior, whose son and family are living in his basement, suggested tongue and cheek that in B.C. the legislation should be reversed so that seniors could finally "cut their adult children loose."
The legislation in India had only one dissenter, a parliamentarian who claimed the government should have a policy for the old and aged. The legislation does provide for the state to set up old age homes for the elderly although this is seen only as a last resort to care for the poor and the childless. We won't see this kind of legislation in Canada. Here, the responsibility for those who are unable to care for themselves falls to charity or to the state. In India, and in many other parts of the world, care for the elderly is still the responsibility of the family.

Members of the Indian legislature lamented the fact that parliament had to protect the elderly and provide for their maintenance. This isn't just a concern in India. Old age is becoming a "problem" for all societies.


We're going to need to pay more attention to the care and protection of older persons regardless of where they live. At a recent meeting of senior service providers a newly appointed coordinator at a local senior's agency said that she was shocked at the number of seniors on the North Shore who are living alone and either have no family or have no contact with their family. Sadly, more and more seniors, here and around the world, will find themselves in that circumstance, often lacking physical, emotional and financial support.
The world is becoming a smaller place and that's not always a good thing.


SOURCE: northshoreNews (Canada)

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