After the election in December, thousands of people were angry about Lukashenko's victoy and they held a protest in a central square in the capital. They called for the president to step down. The protest was mostly non-violent. Lukashenko claims that this was an attempt to overthrow his government and that Western powers were involved. Many protesters were arrested, including opposition leaders that ran against Lukashenko as presidential candidates. One presidential candidate was beaten unconscious during the protest, and was taken to prison directly from his hospital bed.
The EU is expected to complete their plans this week for sanctions against Belarus -- including travel bans and asset freezes against the president and other government officials. EU leaders have said that only the unconditional release of those jailed after the elections could result in them dropping the sanctions. Those that were recently released, including journalists and former presidential candidates, were put under house arrest and 24-hour surveillance. The mother of a journalist that was recently released (the journalist's husband, one of the presidential candidates, is still in jail) said her daughter is not allowed to speak with anyone, no one can come over to her home, she's not allowed to speak on the phone, and two KGB agents are stationed inside her home at all times. (Full Story)
The New York Times has an interesting article on aging and the elderly population in China. The Civil Affairs Ministry to China's State Council has submitted a proposal that adult children would be required by law to visit their elderly parents. And if they do not, they can be sued by their parents. The proposal could be considered by the National People's Congress, which holds its annual session in March, but some believe that it is not likely to pass.
Beyond this controversial new proposal, I like how the article discussed the changing demographics in China and how this is affecting the elderly. With rapid urbanization and economic growth in China, which can greatly change living arrangements and family obligations, the elderly appear to be getting less care and attention. China has the third highest elderly suicide rate in the world (behind South Korea and Taiwan). The average suicide rate among people aged 70-74 living in cities nearly tripled between 2002 and 2009. One explanation for this is urbanization. More and more older people are moving out of intimate, smaller neighborhoods where they were surrounded by family and friends, and moving into lonely high-rises where they don't feel a sense of belonging and feel forgotten. However, suicide does not seem to only be a problem for the urban elderly. Although the suicide rate among 70-74 year olds in rural areas has decreased compared to the average rate for the 1990s, the rural elderly suicide rate still remains higher than their urban counterparts.
Another factor playing a role in the treatment of the elderly is that China's elderly population is rapidly growing, while the number of young adults is decreasing. It's estimated that the proportion of the elderly will nearly double between 2008 and 2025. By 2050, one in four Chinese will be 65 and older. As a result, there's more people to be cared for than there are family caregivers. In addition, while the idea of adult children caring for their elderly parents is deeply ingrained within Chinese culture, changing times and demographics can make this ideal more difficult to carry out. Younger generations are moving away from their parents more and more (for work or for school, for example), and this can lead to the children developing different values or priorities (or simply being unable to care for the family because they're a distance away). Today it is less common than in the past to have several generations living within one household. Now more than half of all Chinese over the age of 60 do not live with their adult children. In some major cities, it's as high as 70%.
While I think this is an interesting concept -- forcing children to spend more time with their elders and caring for them -- I think there needs to be a much better (and lasting) solution to address the physical, mental, and social needs of the elderly. While it should definitely be encouraged to spend more time with your elders, the family should not be considered the only source of care -- especially as the changing demographics and the mobility of the younger generations makes that more difficult to carry out. The proposal does in fact address the need for more facilities, community care, and in-home services for the elderly, as well as other social services like free routine medical check-up. I think that's what they should be focusing their attention and not on suing the children. When family care is not available (or not given), the elderly need to have access to care facilities or care resources (like community homes, nurses, in-home care), affordable medical treatment, affordable mental health care, and a sense of community. There should be an effort to get more community groups or clubs -- like exercise clubs, reading clubs, dance classes, educational classes, support groups, etc -- that the elderly can be a part of. We all need to feel as if we belong to something -- and if family is not one of those things (or isn't frequent enough), there needs to be other options available for them in which they are encouraged to join. (Full Story)
