Discrimination

1
Discrimination

• A presentation on access to services and the
  treatment of elderly refugees
• Yvonne Cass
• Chair
• South Yorkshire Refugee Forum

2
Just what is discrimination?

• Uk.encarta Unfavourable treatment on grounds of
  characteristics such as sex, race, religion,
  disability, age, and sexual orientation. The
  underlying premise is that unfavourable treatment
  is unfair because those characteristics are
  unrelated to a persons abilities or value as a
  human being.
• Post code Is access to services and the
  treatment of our native population any better
  than that of the elderly refugee?

3
A personal journey

• Put in context, discrimination is the river of
  challenge separating our personal banks of
  isolation and integration regardless of
  nationality, class, gender or age.
• I believe that discrimination whether real or
  perceived is an absence of equality of treatment
  resulting in bias, favouritism, prejudice,
  unfairness, inequity, bigotry and intolerance!

4
What concerns elderly refugees?

• Legacy of negative experience from flight and
  desperation for a safe place( asylum).
• Disillusionment with the process of integration.
• Gender roles and responsibilities within family
• Intergenerational crises within communities.
• Positive discrimination that hurts elderly/
  older pensioner/ employed literate/ illiterate
  numerate/ innumerate alone or with family/ clan

5
Stemming the tide of discrimination

• Empower the person with not only information
  about available services and their offering but
  the mindset and confidence to access them.
• Every Child Matters and so does every person-
  including the elderly refugee!