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During armed conflict, the rights of older people are often violated.
Human Rights Watch found that government forces and non-state armed groups have abused the rights of older people in countries all around the world.
In many cases older people have been executed, indiscriminately attacked, detained, tortured, raped, and had their property and communities destroyed.
Government forces and armed groups should respect international law and end abuses against older people.
In Ethiopia in August and September 2021, Tigrayan forces briefly occupied Chenna village in the Amhara region, where they committed a series of summary executions.
‘’Just before they left, they took my father and great uncle outside the front of the compound. Two of them tied my father’s hands behind his back and then shot him. Four of them then shot my great uncle.”
In Mali, Human Rights Watch spoke to a 60-year-old shepherd, who had been detained in the Nampala military camp in 2015 and tortured by government forces.
“They tied me and hung me upside down from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. They asked where the jihadists were; I said I only care about my animals. Then a soldier thrust his gun into my face with force. I lost half my teeth.”
In South Sudan, rape has been used by all sides to terrorize civilians.
HRW spoke to a woman in her late 50’s who had been raped by a soldier during government operations in February 2019.
“He started shooting around me and then hit me with his gun and said, ‘Mama lie down, I want to have sex with you.’ I said, ’Why would you do this; I am a born again Christian and you are like my son.’ He beat me again and then forced himself on me.”
In May 2021, Israeli airstrikes destroyed scores of homes and businesses in the occupied Gaza Strip. Jawad Mahdi, 68, lived in a high-rise building there with dozens of family members.
“All these years of hard work, it was a place of living, safety, children and grandchildren… All our history and life, destroyed in front of your eyes. It’s like someone ripping your heart out and throwing it.‘’
When their communities come under attack, some older people stay to protect their property. Others are unable to flee the violence.
In 2017, ethnic Rohingya who had fled Myanmar described security forces pushing older people who could not flee back into burning houses.
"I saw them push my husband's uncle into the fire. I saw them push him back into the burning house… …He is weak, maybe 80 years... I think they wanted everyone to leave and those that could not leave they put into the fire.”
Governments and non-state armed groups should ensure older people in conflict areas are provided with humanitarian assistance and protected from abuse.
UN bodies should include protection of older people in armed conflict in their work.
（紐約）- 人權觀察今天發表報告指出，老年人在衝突期間受到人權侵害的風險較高。武裝衝突的所有各方應該終止對老年人的侵犯，協助人道主義援助送達有需要的老年人。對於衝突期間老年平民的保護有必要提高，聯合國安全理事會應確保聯合國通過各項工作解決此一需要。
這份49頁的報告，《無一倖免：武裝衝突中對老年人的侵害》，說明人權觀察自2013到2021年，在布吉納法索、中非共和國、埃塞俄比亞、以色列與巴勒斯坦被佔領土、馬里、莫三比克、納戈爾諾－卡拉巴赫、尼日爾、南蘇丹、敘利亞和烏克蘭等地所紀錄，對於受武裝衝突影響老年人的各種侵害模式。該報告並參照喀麥隆兩個英語地區長期嚴重的暴力事件、緬甸安全部隊對若開邦羅興亞年長者的暴行，以及因敘利亞衝突逃往黎巴嫩的年長難民的經歷。
「老年人在衝突期間面臨各種嚴重侵害，包括即決處決、強姦和綁架，」人權觀察老年人權利高級研究員布莉吉特・斯利普（Bridget Sleap）說。「各國政府和聯合國迫切需要認識到老年人的具體風險和援助需求，並採取行動加以保護。」
在世界各地的衝突中，老年平民經常遭受政府軍和民間武裝團體的攻擊和嚴重虐待，包括非法殺害、即決處決、任意逮捕拘留、酷刑及其他虐待、強姦、綁架劫持以及摧毀其房屋、財產。造成老年人死傷的包括輕兵器、重武器、廣域效果爆炸武器以及化學武器和其他違禁武器。若無法或拒絕逃離襲擊，老年人往往面臨更高的風險。
在布吉納法索和馬里，伊斯蘭武裝團體、政府軍和族裔民兵團體殺害了不計其數的老年人，包括德高望重者。2022年1月27日，馬里陸軍在該國托納村（Touna）處決了兩名八旬長者及其他12人，目的顯然是為報復兩名士兵駕車遇土製炸彈身亡。
在南蘇丹，一名50多歲強姦生還者表示，2019年2月政府軍對叛軍發動清剿時，有一名士兵強迫她背負劫獲財物，並且用槍枝毆打她，對她進行多次強姦。
從2016年12月到2017年4月，敘利亞政府軍戰機進行了四次空襲，顯然投下了包括沙林在內多種化學品製成的神經毒劑。據報導，許多老年人在此次空襲中遭化武殺害。
在交戰期間，行動不便或有其他障礙的老年人常常因為無人協助逃跑而在戰火臨近時被抛下。2017年，被迫離開緬甸的羅興亞人談到安全部隊將無法逃走的老年人推回著火的房屋。「我看到他們把我丈夫的叔叔推入火窟。我看到他們把他推回燃燒的房子裡，」一位女士說。「他很虛弱，可能有80多歲⋯⋯我認為他們想把每個人都趕走，走不了的人就推到火裡。」
有些老年人為了保護自己的財產，選擇不逃離家園。2020 年在阿塞拜疆，亞美尼亞人佔多數的飛地納戈爾諾－卡拉巴赫發生衝突期間，大多數年輕平民都跑光了，留下的絕大多數是老年人。其中一對年逾七旬的老夫婦艾瑞嘉（Arega）與埃都瓦（Eduard），也留在村裡保衛家產。10月間，阿塞拜疆士兵發現他們在家即予粗暴逮捕，起初關押在沒有食物飲水的空屋，後來將他們移送阿塞拜疆首都巴庫的拘留所。官員不准艾瑞嘉服用高血壓藥物。埃都瓦在拘留期間死亡，艾瑞嘉在他死後不久看到他的屍體。據艾瑞嘉形容，他的臉部發黑、發紫。
流離失所的老年人還可能面臨虐待，以及獲得人道主義援助的障礙。2017 年在南蘇丹，一名70歲的失明男性說，他在避難島嶼上無法得到援助。「一些組織已經為老年人做登記，但我從未得到登記，因為他們沒有來到我這個島，」他說。「這個島上也沒有診所。我必須到另一個島上或回到陸地，才能得到醫療援助。」
國際人道法（即戰爭法）認可在武裝衝突期間保護老年平民。它要求在可行範圍內將年長平民等人員安全移出軍事目標附近，並根據年齡等因素為被拘押平民提供適當住所。老年人也隨時隨地受到相關國際人權法的保護。
「聯合國各機構、和平維持特派團和人道援助者應確保所有保護與援助活動均將老年人及其特定需求包容在內，」斯利普說。「老年人具有獨特的保護需求，不應任其繼續成為武裝衝突中被忽略的受害者。」
