Published: 11:02 PM, 02 October 2026
Older People Are Guides for Future Generations
Shafiqul Islam Khokon
October 1 is the International Day of Older Persons. Like many other countries around the world, Bangladesh is also observing the day with a focus on the rights, dignity, security, and well-being of senior citizens. But the question is: Does our responsibility toward older people end simply by discussing them for one day?
Older people are not a burden on any family, nor are they a burden on society. They are living witnesses to the journey of building our families, society, and state. The education, infrastructure, economy, and social structures on which the present generation is building the future are rooted in the labor, sacrifice, experience, and contributions of older people. Therefore, old age should not be viewed as a weakness; rather, it should be accepted as a natural stage of life.
The Rights of Older People and the Responsibilities of Children Under the Law:
Article 15(d) of the Constitution of Bangladesh speaks of social security, including government assistance, for people who are in need due to old age. At the same time, Article 19 of the Constitution emphasizes ensuring equality of opportunity for citizens. This means that the social security and dignity of older people are not merely humanitarian concerns; they are also connected to the responsibilities of the state.
One important law in Bangladesh for protecting the rights of elderly parents is the Parents' Maintenance Act, 2013. Section 2 of the Act defines “maintenance” to include food, clothing, medical care, accommodation, as well as companionship. In other words, the responsibility toward parents does not end with sending them some money every month; living with them, keeping in touch, and providing emotional support are also part of the concept of maintenance under the law.
Section 3(1) requires every child to ensure the maintenance of his or her parents. Where there is more than one child, Section 3(2) states that the children should discuss among themselves and fulfill their responsibilities.
Another significant provision is found in Section 3(4), which states that a child cannot force his or her father or mother to live in an old-age home or elsewhere against their wishes. Section 3(5) requires children to regularly inquire about their parents' health and provide necessary medical care and attention. If the parents live separately, Section 3(6) also places a responsibility on the children to visit them regularly. Furthermore, Section 3(7) provides for the regular payment of a reasonable amount from the child's income to parents who live separately.
The law does not stop there. Section 4 also addresses the maintenance of grandparents—grandfathers and grandmothers—when their parents are no longer alive. Section 5 provides for a fine of up to Tk 100,000 for violations of the law and, in default of payment, imprisonment for up to three months.
However, it is important to remember that this law primarily concerns ensuring the maintenance of parents. It would not be appropriate to view all the rights of every older citizen as being confined to a single law.
Dignity for Older People in National Policy:
In 2013, the Government of Bangladesh adopted the National Policy on Older Persons. The National Policy on Older Persons 2013 is also included in the official list of policies of the Ministry of Social Welfare. At the international level, Bangladesh's national policy on older persons considers people aged 60 and above as older persons and gives importance to their dignity, health, income security, social protection, and social inclusion.
Thus, the message is clear from the perspective of state policy as well: there is no room for neglecting older people.
Is Reality Keeping Pace with the Law?
This is where the biggest question arises.
In urban life, joint families are declining while nuclear families are becoming increasingly common. Because of children's busy lives, living abroad or in distant cities, financial pressures, and changes in family relationships, many older people are suffering from loneliness. Some children regularly send money but do not give their parents time; others live in the same house but remain emotionally disconnected.
There are also older people who have no personal income, savings, or retirement security. Medical expenses are a major concern for them. As people grow older, their need for mobility assistance, medical care, medicines, safe housing, and social interaction increases, yet in many families these needs are viewed as additional expenses.
But an older person's needs are not limited to food and medicine. They need respect, security, someone to talk to, participation in decision-making, and recognition of their existence and worth.
The inclusion of “companionship” within the legal definition of maintenance itself reflects the depth of the issue. Loneliness is one of the major challenges of old age.
The Older Population Is Growing:
The age structure of Bangladesh's population is also changing rapidly. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data from 2022, people aged 60 and above account for approximately 8.7 percent of the total population. This means that older people are no longer a small segment of society; their number is expected to increase further in the future.
This demographic change means that increasing allowances alone will not be enough. Long-term planning is necessary. We need age-friendly hospitals, accessible healthcare, safe public transportation, pedestrian-friendly footpaths and public facilities, opportunities for social interaction, and greater attention to mental well-being.
Old-Age Allowance Is Important, But Not Enough:
Bangladesh has old-age allowances and various social security programs. The United Nations in Bangladesh has also noted that various social protection programs are in place for older people, but a large number of older persons are still outside these programs.
Therefore, instead of focusing only on the amount of the allowance, we should ask: Is the older person receiving the allowance also receiving medical care? Do they have safe housing? Does someone talk to them? Are they able to participate in social activities? Does their family value their opinions and decisions?
An age-friendly society means more than financial assistance; it means ensuring a life of dignity.
Older People Are Not a Burden; They Are an Asset
We often determine a person's value based on their ability to work. When someone can no longer work as they did before, we gradually begin to consider them unnecessary. This attitude must change.
A retired teacher may no longer teach in a classroom, but their experience can guide the younger generation. A farmer may no longer be able to work in the fields as before, but they possess decades of agricultural knowledge and experience. A freedom fighter, government official, worker, businessperson, journalist, homemaker, or ordinary laborer—every older person carries a vast reservoir of experience within their life story.
Opportunities should be created to make use of their knowledge. At the local level, initiatives such as advisory councils for older people, social activities, experience-sharing programs between older and younger generations, and the preservation of their skills and memories can make society richer.
Alongside Enforcement of the Law, We Need a Social Movement:
The Parents' Maintenance Act, 2013, is undoubtedly important. But we do not want a society in which children need to be taken to court simply to make them love and care for their parents.
The law can provide remedies for violations, but love, a sense of responsibility, and family values cannot be created through legislation alone. Therefore, change must begin within the family. Children must be taught that caring for their parents is not an act of charity; it is a responsibility. At the same time, the state must ensure that older citizens are not deprived of healthcare, social security, and access to justice.
A Change in Attitude:
We urgently need to change our attitude toward older people. The idea that growing old makes a person unnecessary or turns them into a burden on the family must change. Older people need more than money or medical care; they need love, respect, time, and the opportunity to participate in family decisions. Their experiences should be valued, and meaningful intergenerational relationships should be developed between older people and the younger generation.
There is one issue that has never been clear to me. I often think about it, but I cannot find an answer. When children grow up, why are their parents sometimes divided among them for care and support?
For example, imagine a family with four children—two sons and two daughters. According to the traditional practice in our society, parents generally live with their sons when they become old. But in many families, we see that the parents spend one month with one son and the next month with another. In some cases, the father has to live with one son while the Yet these very parents raised their children together. They did not divide their children among themselves during their childhood and raise them separately. So why does such division occur when the parents reach old age?
We must remember that those who are elderly today will one day reach the same stage of life ourselves. Therefore, the first change needed to build an age-friendly society must come from our mindset.
Final Words
If, on the International Day of Older Persons, we simply offer flowers, hold meetings, and put up banners, the purpose of the day will not be fulfilled.
Today's young people are tomorrow's older people. The way we treat our parents today may be the way the next generation treats us one day. Therefore, we must look at older people not with pity, but through the lens of rights and dignity.
Older people are not a burden on society. They are the builders of our past, the repository of experience in the present, and the guides of future generations.
The identity of a humane state is reflected not only in its economic development, but also in how much respect and security it can provide to its oldest, most vulnerable, and most experienced citizens.
Respecting older people means respecting our own future.
Shafiqul Islam Khokon is a
columnist and a researcher.
He can be reached at [email protected]
