"Elderly people have the same rights as any other citizen. Because they are so vulnerable, they need extra protection": this was stated by Thomas Hammarberg, Human Rights Commissioner at the Council of Europe, in the weekly report published on www.coe.int. Hammarberg claims that "too often elderly people are ignored and deprived of the full enjoyment of their fundamental rights", recognised by many Declarations and "welfare charters". They suffer the effects of a view according to which "they have become useless and have no use in modern society". In addition "elderly people generally have no voice in politics" and the organisations that defend their interests matter little in the social context. The online "perspective" drawn up by the Commissioner supports, instead, the concept of "active ageing" and the protection of those people who are lonely, sick or in distress, urging to provide for appropriate policies at national and European level, considering the progressive ageing of the European population.
