Wen Lai Yuehui.
Lian Yuming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and founding president of the Beijing International Institute of Urban Development, pointed out that among the "pension challenges" of China's nearly 300 million people over 60 years old, the problem of elderly care in rural areas is more prominent. In this regard, Lian Yuming suggested that the pension of farmers across the country should be raised uniformly, at least 100 yuan per person per month on the existing basis.
In the stage of rapid social development and imperfect legal construction, the protection of the rights and interests of the elderly often lags behind the pace of social development, especially in the areas of old-age care, medical care, property security, and spiritual comfort.
With the progress of social civilization and the improvement of the legal system, the protection of the rights of the elderly has received unprecedented attention and strengthening. Various countries have introduced and improved relevant laws and regulations aimed at effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly, such as China's Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly.
So, how to better meet the diverse and personalized needs of the elderly, and create a good atmosphere of respect, respect and love for the elderly in the whole society?
On February 29, at the symposium co-sponsored by the 30-person Forum on Aging Society, the Institute of Aging Society of Pangu Think Tank and the 50-person Forum on Information Society, Zhu Wei, deputy director, researcher and associate professor of the Communication Law Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law, and a member of the 50-person Forum on the Information Society, sorted out the evolution of the rights protection system for the elderly in China from ancient times to the present, and put forward five suggestions for the protection of the rights of the elderly in the future.
The elderly are the ballast stone of society
In order to understand the current situation of the protection of the rights of the elderly in China, it is necessary to understand the evolution of China's protection system for the elderly from ancient times to the present.
First of all, in response to the "definition of the age of the elderly", Zhu Wei introduced the division of the age of the elderly group in ancient China, and the definition of the age of the elderly is different in different historical stages, such as 56 years old in the Han Dynasty and 60 years old in the Ming Dynasty.
Since ancient times, China has had a tradition of "preferential treatment" for the elderly. Zhu Wei pointed out that in ancient times, especially in the Han Dynasty, the preferential treatment of the elderly was very high. At present, the elderly also have the right to "preferential treatment" in the legal sense, which means that the elderly have the right to receive material assistance from the state and society, and have the right to enjoy social services and social preferential treatment. For example, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, lawyers who encounter cases entrusted by the elderly must reduce or exempt litigation fees and lawyers' fees. In addition, the elderly can also enjoy preferential treatment at work, such as "Fifty does not follow the government, sixty does not serve the government" in "The Book of Rites: The Inside". The current Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly also stipulates that no unit or individual may arrange for the elderly to engage in labor or dangerous work that endangers their physical and mental health.
In addition, older persons have always had the right to participate in and share in the fruits of development. Zhu Wei introduced that this right was available to the elderly in ancient times, such as the "Three Elders System" (originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, which refers to the administrative management team composed of the elderly, officials and farmers over 50 years old). Now, this right of the elderly has become a special provision in the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly.
At the same time, China had a relatively rich social security system in ancient times, such as the maintenance system, the exemption system for servants, the family separation system, the pension exemption system, and the worry system. At present, China has established a multi-level social security system, gradually improving the level of security for the elderly, and also establishing and improving a home-based, community-based, institution-supported social pension service system, and the whole society advocates and encourages voluntary services for the elderly.
For the issue of pension, successive dynasties have also made various explorations. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there were pawnshops, temples, and nursing homes; In the Tang Dynasty, there was a sad field nursing home (pension field); In the Song Dynasty, there was Futian Temple; There were almshouses in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties; During the Kangxi and Qianlong periods, there were also thousands of banquets.
Zhu Wei said that the elderly are the ballast stone of society, and how the aging society treats the elderly is actually an important criterion for measuring the degree of civilization and development of a country and region.
We can learn from the preferential treatment policies for the elderly in ancient times
Protecting the rights of older persons has been and is important, and will be equally important in the future. In this regard, Zhu Wei put forward five suggestions:
First, "one old and one young" should be the conscience and bottom line of society. Specifically, the elderly are the conscience of society. Children should accompany their parents more, and the elderly should be less likely to be deceived by emotional anchors, invested in circles, and deceived by unscrupulous businesses. The "Protection of Minors**" Regulations on the Protection of Online Minors should become the bottom line of social behavior and protect the healthy growth of minors.
Second, it is necessary to protect the rights of the elderly to survival, to choose and to develop. Among them, the right to survival of the elderly from ancient times to the present is a basic right and has relevant regulations, but in the future, the elderly should be given space to choose, whether they choose to dance in the square or be a company consultant, there should be no restrictions.
Third, older persons should not be seen as vulnerable group protection. The public should treat them equally, not protect them.
Fourth, we can learn from the preferential treatment policies for the elderly in ancient times. For example, in ancient times, when a family had only one child, the children were not allowed to engage in high-risk industries; When the parents are old, the children are given home leave every year to visit their parents. These policies have reference significance for the protection of the rights of the elderly in China in the future.
Fifth, it is necessary to ensure that the elderly have a sense of security, well-being, gain and participation. The future of the elderly in ancient times was more stable, and when they reached a certain age, on the one hand, the state would provide for them, and on the other hand, their sons would not have to go on expeditions, but could accompany the elderly at home. At present and in the future, how to protect the money of the elderly from being cheated, so that they can apply what they have learned in their lives, so that the elderly can have a happy old age, still needs to be explored.
Finally, Zhang Xinhong, chief information officer of the State Information Center and director of the Information Society 50 Forum, added that from the perspective of the whole society, the rights and interests of the elderly should be different from the rights and interests of young people. The rights and interests of the elderly can be divided into two parts: the rights and interests of the elderly as a general person and the rights and interests specific to the elderly.
Zhang Xinhong believes that it is necessary to increase the weight of the latter, and make it relatively easy to implement, and cannot be expressed in a general and vague concept, and there should be more detailed clauses. At the same time, there should be relatively clear sanctions for acts that infringe on the rights and interests of the elderly. In addition, as an elderly person, we should also not abuse our rights and try our best to be a healthy, wise and learning old man.
Editor: Qi Mengying Proofreader: Zhai Jun).