The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons Limited (CCRP) is expressing concern over the recent spate of violence and other acts of crime being committed against the country's senior citizens.

According to a releasefrom the company, it is said that the true measure of a nation lies in how it treats its elderly.

The affection and care that we exhibit towards the welfare of our senior citizens are true manifestations of who we are as a people.

CCRP is alarmed over the frequency with which our seniors fall prey to gruesome acts of murder, various forms of abuse, and a host of other crimes, which suggests a society that is either totally unaware or unappreciative of the treasure that lies within its seniors.

Sylvia Sewell, an 84-year-old Gleaner vendor, who was chopped to death, on Thursday, May 30, by a man said to be of unsound mind is just one in a series of horrific acts committed against a member of one of the society's most vulnerable groups.

According to CCRP, the fact that Sewell was killed in a public area in broad daylight on a busy street in downtown Kingston is cause for great concern.

horrifying incident

CCRP Director and Chair of the National Council for Senior Citizens Syringa Marshall-Burnett, in expressing her concern, said: "This horrifying incident should compel us to look at two areas that need to be urgently addressed: the mental health issue that is affecting our society and the need to have programmes in place to assist our more vulnerable elders who still have to earn a living. We must look at ways to assist them in coping with day-to-day issues", she concluded.

The CCRP is reminding the nation that our seniors are our treasure. they have made great contributions to the growth and development of our country and we must take collective responsibility for their welfare.

The CCRP was launched in April 2010 with the mission of "working to ensure that the vast talent, experience, and wisdom of our seniors will be respected and that they enjoy the quality of life which they so richly deserve".

CCRP was founded in 2010 by Jean Lowrie-Chin, managing director of PROComm Limited, as a tribute to the many seniors who had mentored her and supported PROComm. The company houses CCRP's operations and is its major sponsor.