Ensuring the Golden Years of Senior Citizens and Our Collective Responsibility

Having learnt the heart-touching news of the demise of Nurjahan Begum (a Bangladeshi deceased), every person who has a conscious mind felt devastated to know how she passed away completely alone from this effervescent world, in spite of having achieved every possible success that parents dream of to make their children as successful as her children. But what was missing in her children’s lives to look after her until the last breath of Nurjahan Begum? It might be often unfair to conclude in this way that her children did not take care of her as much as they could, but her condition and the primary briefing from the police department shocked us all, even though we are living in a highly secluded society where we often love to focus only on ourselves. It seems that even now we are crying for humanity and feeling the same way as the victim.
Not only was Nurjahan Begum suffering from this unwanted situation, but many parents and senior citizens have also fallen into similar circumstances. I’ve an empirical field practicum among senior citizens in the urban communities, I have found that emotional neglect, social isolation, and financial dependency are the most prevalent issues. Like many elderly people, Nurjahan Begum is the quintessential example in this case. Furthermore, many elderly people lack regular contact with family members. Even institutional support is minimal—characterized by limited NGO presence, weak state services, and underused healthcare centers.
Senior citizens also claim inadequate access to crucial services like healthcare, housing, and psychological support. Those in informal settlements and slums, or the “floating elderly population,” are particularly at risk, experiencing unstable housing, reliance on informal charity or faith-based organizations, and a lack of voice in policy considerations. Approximately 60% of elderly women suffer from emotional and financial neglect along with widowhood-related isolation, while 30% of women of a similar age are physically neglected, let alone stripped of their decision-making power. They are often denied the chance to speak with their beloved children, for whom they once sacrificed their tomorrows. In addition to old age challenges, people aged between 60 and 80 face severe financial pressure and limited healthcare access. To secure an ordinary livelihood, many are forced to resort to begging.
Though the Government of Bangladesh has launched the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS)—under which it offers social security programs including old-age allowance, allowances for widows and husband-deserted women, and vulnerable group feeding—a substantial number of older people remain entirely excluded from these initiatives.
In contrast, neighboring India has implemented more significant policies in this regard, such as the National Policy for Older Persons (1999), the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act (2007), and community outreach programs like the ‘Golden Care’ initiative in Hyderabad. This initiative assists seniors with government welfare programs, protects them from financial scams and abuse, and provides outreach visits and emergency medical assistance. In spite of these efforts, crimes against senior citizens remain a concern. For instance, Tamil Nadu reported 2,104 cases of crimes against senior citizens in 2013, highlighting the need for improved policy enforcement and community vigilance. These statistics reflect that senior citizens face suffering globally, regardless of international borders.
On the other hand, Singapore has obtained positive results by enacting effective initiatives. Through programs like Age Well SG, the Whole-of-Government Approach, and robust community engagement, the Singaporean government encourages seniors to stay active and socially connected. To address the multifaceted needs of seniors, they provide concessionary public transport fares and merchant discounts to promote active participation in community life. In contrast to these successes, Bangladesh and India have drastically failed. Meanwhile, China’s initiatives also deserve special attention, notably the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (Amended 2015), the expansion of legal aid, and the “9073” community care model. When analyzing the initiatives and outcomes of these four nations, Singapore and China clearly maintain a much better position than Bangladesh and India.
What, then, is the main rationale behind looking after senior citizens? The answer lies in a strong legal framework and the overall development of a nation. In Bangladesh, the primary legal protection is the Parents Maintenance Act (2013). However, weak enforcement and limited public awareness remain the main challenges plaguing this act. Conversely, Singapore’s Maintenance of Parents Act (1995) and Vulnerable Adults Act are highly effective due to active enforcement paired with a dedicated tribunal system. China’s Elder Rights Protection Law (2013) is similarly effective. While India’s Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act (2007) exists, its execution varies heavily from state to state, and its slow tribunal system remains a primary obstacle to delivering speedy remedies.
Another core factor is a country’s overall economic development. In this regard, some may argue that when a country reaches its peak of economic development, it can naturally offer more robust social welfare for its vulnerable citizens. We can see the reality of this statement by comparing the old-age allowances across Bangladesh, India, China, and Singapore. While Bangladesh offers a mere BDT 600 per month and India provides a state pension with low coverage, Singapore and China offer high-coverage schemes like the Silver Support Scheme and China’s National Pension System, the latter of which has attracted global attention. Thus, developed countries spend significantly more to improve the living conditions of their needy elderly citizens, while developing or underdeveloped nations lag far behind.
For many, this presents a classic “chicken-and-egg” dilemma. Yet, if we consider how a country truly becomes a welfare state, the first requirement that comes to mind is that the nation must protect its most vulnerable citizens. The primary objective of a welfare state is to safeguard the rights of every single citizen, regardless of age, caste, and race. A country was born to serve its people, not to earn from the people of its country.
Since Bangladesh is a developing country, and it’s passing the most critical development trajectory—graduation from the least developed countries—Bangladesh needs to focus on strong values and ethical education so that parents and elderly citizens do not suffer from being deprived of their natural rights due to the lack of their children’s values and morality. To build a moral and ethics-centered nation, it is a crying need to address the mental condition of senior citizens and also emphasize values. Because a valued nation never abandons its citizens, especially those who are considered vulnerable. Thus, along with the lesson to look after parents and show sympathy towards vulnerable people, Bangladesh should strengthen enforcement of the Parents Maintenance Act (2013), increase old-age allowance coverage and raise benefit amounts, establish the neediest geriatric wards in district hospitals, and develop outreach for the floating elderly population through NGOs and local bodies.
No sooner had Bangladesh obtained independence from the then demagogic leadership of West Pakistan than it started to make a “Golden Bengal” along with the then seven crore people who fought for the country and gave us a sovereign nation. Today, they are our most senior and vulnerable citizens, just like Nurjahan Begum. It would be a shame for a nation if the country does not give them respect socially and economically.

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