I am 76. I have lived my whole life not knowing human rights existed. I have seen a lot and I know how the world is. Unfortunately that doesn't mean I like what I know.
I have always been a farmer. Not that long ago someone grabbed my land from me. I couldn't do anything to reclaim it. I was told because I am old I am unable to cultivate it properly and so it was taken from me. My husband is in poor health and could do nothing to get it back.
Often older people are not protected from these issues. I felt frustrated because I knew there would be nothing I could do about it, no one I could turn to would listen and I didn't receive the support I needed. Often leaders will side with a younger person as they think it is the best way to keep the land productive. This is what happened to me. No one was on our side and we felt we couldn't push it further.
Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and older people all over the world face this kind of abuse, whether financial, physical, psychological, sexual, material or general neglect. Older people's right to live a life free from violence and abuse is not protected under international law.
Elder abuse in my country Tanzania is widespread and common. It was reported that 630 older people accused of witchcraft had been murdered in 2012 and in 2013 this had risen to 765. Some of our cultural beliefs create acceptance of this behaviour. Older age is seen as a burden, and older women with property are considered as underserving.
I have been taught about my human rights and why they are so important through HelpAge International. I have written a will to protect my property from land grabbing. I have also written a memory book so that my children know their family history and where they come from. All of this would have been lost when I died, but I'm leaving behind a legacy now.
Even though I haven't been able to gain back my lost land, I have protected the rest of it by writing my will. It feels good to know my children will have something to remember me by when I'm gone. I know that now I have contributed something to their lives and their inheritance is in writing.
If I was still young I would have fought for my land, but now I am older I am not as strong. It shouldn't matter what I own or how old I am. Human rights last a lifetime and our right to them doesn't change the longer we live.
Worryingly less than one-third of governments around the world have implemented any sort of strategy to combat elder abuse. In some places the law ignores economic abuse, a form of exploitation that women are often subjected to in older age. I am one such older woman who has seen this first hand.
Responses to elder abuse worldwide are inadequate. Often people are unaware of their property rights until they are under threat. By then it could be too late.
I am thankful I have learned all of this before I die. I have been able to teach other older women about their rights and writing my will has given me autonomy. Now I am not scared about the end of my life. I have been given the opportunity to plan ahead, to secure my children's futures and empower others to call out injustices and protect themselves against abhorrent elder abuse.