Caregivers who neglect, withhold care from elderly to be imprisoned: Egypt’s law

CAIRO – 20 June 2022: The law regulating the rights of the elderly in Egypt has set a punishment of imprisonment and fine to any one charged with caring for elderly person, and neglects to perform assigned duties.

Those violating the law will be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and a fine of no less than one thousand pounds and not more than ten thousand pounds, or one of these two penalties.  

Article 40 of the Elderly Rights Bill says that the two penalties are for every person charged with caring for an elderly person, and instead neglects to perform his duties towards him, or to take what is necessary to carry out these duties, or who obtains for himself the financial assistance prescribed for the elderly.

And for every person charged with caring for the elderly deliberately refrains from carrying out the duties of care or takes advantage of the elderly, the penalty shall be “imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and a fine of no less than two thousand pounds and not exceeding twenty thousand pounds, or either of these two penalties.”

If this negligence caused wounding or harming to an elderly, the penalty shall be imprisonment, and if it resulted in a disability or the death of the elderly, the penalty shall be imprisonment for a period of no less than three years and not exceeding five years.

Under the draft law, the state is obligated to protect the rights of the elderly stipulated in this law, or in any other law, including guaranteeing the rights of the elderly stipulated in international conventions and charters ratified by the Arab Republic of Egypt, and not to take any action or practice that contradicts its provisions, in addition to ensuring the right to life, food, drink, clothing, and housing appropriate to their age and state of health, commitment to respecting their freedoms to exercise their choices by themselves and their independent will, non-discrimination between them based on age or religion.

The law also ensures effective equality in the enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields, and removing all obstacles that prevent them from enjoying these rights.

According to the draft law, the state is obligated to create suitable conditions for the elderly to live a decent life in all respects with human dignity by providing the highest possible level of basic live components: including money, housing, health, social and psychological care, in addition to enabling them to exercise the right to education, learning, work, use of public facilities and services, access to information, freedom of expression and opinion, and other basic public and private rights and freedoms.