Algeria: 6 Years in Prison for Throwing Elderly Parents into Nursing Home

The Office of the National People’s Assembly has received a proposal for a new law to protect elderly people who have been abandoned by their children in nursing homes. The new text provides for severe penalties against these people, ranging from three to six years in prison, with the possibility of a fine of about 10 million centimes.
The new proposal, which was initiated by a group of representatives led by MP Laila Al-Yazidi and is currently on the table in the lower house of parliament, aims to toughen penalties against people who abandon their parents in nursing homes, stressing that the proposal reflects commitment to moral and religious values and achieves the necessary social protection. For the elderly, it promotes family values and reduces social injustice.
The representatives of the proposal stressed that the aim of the legislative initiative is to amend Law No. 10-12 of December 2010 on the Protection of the Elderly, since the amended document, according to its authors, forces disabled children to bear the legal and financial responsibility for the care of their parents.
Among the justifications provided by the representative of the proposal, a copy of which was seen by ”Echorouk”, is that moral and religious duty requires them to bear responsibility for their guardians, especially since Algeria is a Muslim country and many cultures and religions consider caring for parents and caring for them in old age a moral and religious duty. If the state wants to enshrine these values, they say, it should increase the penalties in the law to include people who abandon their parents.
Social protection – according to them – considers the social care of the elderly as one of the primary responsibilities of the State, by imposing severe penalties on people who abandon their parents, and the State can then achieve adequate social protection for this vulnerable group.
Supporters of the proposal believe that the human rights of this group compel the state to ensure that the elderly live in dignity and respect, since parents have played their role in raising and caring for children.
Therefore, they believe that the stage of old age requires adequate care by children and a reduction of the burden on the state, Instead of relying entirely on state support for elderly care.
Accordingly, the owners of the parliamentary initiative believe that the implementation of what is stipulated in the proposal will contribute in the future to reducing the financial and economic burden on the state by making children more responsible for caring for their parents, and at the same time promote family values by imposing severe penalties on people who abandon their parents, as well as It contributes to promoting family values and strengthening family relationships.
According to the Assembly’s representatives, the proposal would reduce the social injustice resulting from children abandoning their parents, which causes social isolation among the elderly, and imposing legal penalties on people who abandon their guardians would contribute to reducing social injustice and improving the quality of life of the elderly.
In this regard, the deputies proposed to impose penalties of 3 to 6 years of imprisonment, with the possibility of a fine of up to 10 million cents, on any person who is found to have abandoned his or her parents in nursing homes.