A/81/133 survivor of armed conflict, such as in Colombia 77 or Bosnia and Herzegovina, 78 generates cumulative effects that increase women’s vulnerability in old age, including chronic trauma, disability, poverty, social isolation and unresolved grief. Armed conflicts also leave large numbers of women widowed – reportedly as many as 50% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 79 – or permanently separated from their spouses. 31. Climate change and environmental disasters, coupled with limited access to emergency services, exacerbate older women’s vulnerabilities and increase the death toll among them. 80 Climate-induced displacement places older women at heightened risk of physical, psychological and economic abuse as a result of the destruction of community infrastructure, overcrowded living conditions, the loss of land, housing and traditional sources of livelihood. 81 J. Lack of consideration for sex-specific needs 32. Laws and policies that permit self-identification of gender identity, conflating sex and gender, fail to account for sex differences 82 and are problematic for older women in residential care settings, particularly for lesbians. 83 Older women often have no enforceable right to refuse intimate personal care from trans-identifying male workers, which may be especially retraumatizing for survivors of sexual violence. 84 33. Regulations that prohibit care facilities from refusing to assign males in female rooms or restrooms and that impose financial and other penalties for non -compliance may force older women to end up deprived of care. 85 In addition, the use of deliberately sex-neutral or overly broad terminology, such as “elder abuse” when referring to violence predominantly experienced by older women and perpetrated by males, may obscure the nature of the harm and hinder the development of evidencebased responses. IV. Barriers in access to justice and remedies 34. With regard to reporting, most older women experiencing violence never disclose it to anyone 86 and may not even conceptualize the term as relating to their situation. 87 They are also less likely to report abuse to the male officers who usually constitute the majority of law enforcement. 88 Police officers, judges, healthcare professionals and social workers frequently lack awareness of the specific dynamics of violence against older women, 89 and they may dismiss it as a private family matter. 90 __________________ 77 Joint submission by the Tejiendo Calles Association and SeRaíz. See https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/pk/article/view/29389/30233 . 79 See https://www.un.org/en/observances/widows-day. 80 A/77/136, para. 53. 81 Submission by Juan Didier Pierre. 82 A/HRC/59/47, paras. 18 and 25. 83 Submission by Australian Feminists for Women’s Rights. 84 Submission by the Affiliation of Australian Women’s Advocacy Alliances. 85 See https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/dominican-sisters-challenge-new-york-genderidentity-law-in-court. 86 Submission by Czechia. 87 Submission by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. 88 Submission by China HRD Watch. 89 Submission by the University of Malta. 90 Submission by the Social Impact Center Albania. 78 26-09992 9/26