The theme of this year’s Enem article was the federal government’s policy theme: “Harmful to Society.”

Candidates for this year’s Enem exam will have to write an essay on “Perspectives on Aging in Brazilian Society.” This topic was already on the federal government’s agenda on other occasions, such as last year, when a campaign by the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship recalled “Purple June”, a month chosen to “raise awareness about all forms of violence against the elderly”.

The National Secretariat for the Rights of the Elderly, which is responsible for the project, explained last year that “discrimination against the elderly uses a person’s age to classify and identify them in a discriminatory, degrading and stereotypical way. This practice is still very common and has harmful consequences for society, as it affects self-esteem and thus physical and mental health, in addition to harming people through exclusion from social spaces and work, affecting various sectors of life.”

According to the Secretariat, so-called “ageism” occurs in three dimensions: institutional (within organizations); Personal (interpersonal) or against oneself (internal). To confront this problem, it is important to “promote change and encourage the creation of a different culture of thinking about older people with non-discriminatory attitudes,” according to the government.

“When discrimination against the elderly is internalized and the person believes that he is no longer able, this means a failure of public policies, a failure of society, because the people who were able to confront it, were unable to do so, and the person believes that he is not a person subject to rights and able to fully enjoy his citizenship,” said National Secretary for the Rights of the Elderly, Alexandre da Silva.

See photos of the beautification project for elderly women with visual impairment in Tqara

Student Jessica with Doña Marilia – Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

Project coordinators "Generations united"Christian Bastos (left) and Vivian de Mello Souza - Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

Gisele Monteiro had her nails painted by a student – Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

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Student Ruby Santos guides an elderly woman in sensory activities – Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

Ruby Santos with an elderly woman at Sodalício da Sacra Família - Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo — 5 out of 10
Ruby Santos with an elderly woman at Sodalício da Sacra Família – Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

An afternoon of beauty at the Sodalício da Sacra Família, on the Day of the Elderly - Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo — 6 out of 10
An afternoon of beauty at the Sodalício da Sacra Família, on the Day of the Elderly – Photography: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

IBMR students, teachers, nuns and old women at the Sodalício da Sacra Família - Photo: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo — 7 out of 10
IBMR students, teachers, nuns and old women at the Sodalício da Sacra Família – Photo: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

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Seniors reveal their desires, students try to fulfill them — Photo: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

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An elderly woman painting her nails – Photo: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

Sensory exercise pieces created by IBMR students - Photo: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo — 10 out of 10
Sensory exercise pieces created by IBMR students – Photo: Marcelo Theobald / Agência O Globo

IBMR students participate in visits to the Sodalício da Sacra Família and meet their demands

At the time, the government highlighted that in 2023, of all complaints registered via Dial 100, a significant proportion of them concerned incidents against older people (88,408 cases) – second only to cases registered against children and teenagers (141,667 cases).

Although the government’s mobilization around this issue took place throughout the month of June, through the “Respect All Stages of Life” campaign, the choice alludes to June 15, the International Day of Awareness on Violence against Elderly, established by the United Nations in 2011, “with the aim of raising awareness in society about combating violence against older persons.”