Violence and Abuse against Older Persons

Silvia Perel-Levin

ILC GA, INPEAChair, NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva

New York, OEWG on Ageing, 31 July 2014

Types of abuse characteristics

1. PhysicalInfliction of pain or injury (slapping, hitting, kicking,

force-feeding, restraint…)

2. Psychological/emotional abuse

Infliction of mental anguish (verbal aggression or

threat, social isolation, humiliating statements…).

3. Financial/material abuse

Improper exploitation and/or use of funds or

resources(theft, coercion to deprive the older person of

his or her assets)

 

4. Sexual abuse

 Non-consensual contact of any kind (Suggestive talk,

forced sexual activity, touching, fondling)

 

5. Neglect

Intentional or unintentional failure to meet Older

Persons’ needs (failure to provide adequate food,

clothing, shelter, medical care, hygiene, or social

stimulation).

Alternative classification ?

Neglect  isolation, abandonment and social exclusion

Violationof human, legal and medical rights

 Deprivation of choices, decisions, status finances and respect

WHO/INPEA 2002

Types of abuse characteristics

6. Societal

abuse

Ageism, lack of appropriate pensions, discrimination

Community and Societal Abuse

• Abandonment, property grabbing, forced marriages, accusations of witchcraft, ejection from their homes

• Older women face tenure insecurity when inheritance laws do not protect them 

• Witch-burning as method of controlling older women and preventing them from inheriting property.

Harmful Traditional practices

• Special Rapporteurs on violence against women, described some harmful practices against older women following country visits.

• HelpAge International reported about witchcraft accusations, used as excuse to justify violence.

• The Witchcraft & Human Rights Information Network reported accusations in 41 countries.

Working Group on discrimination against women in law and practice (A/HRC/26/39)

• Women’s poverty and quality of life in older age: culmination of women’s life course

• Situation in retirement: test for the quality of women’s economic and social life.

• Discriminatory laws and practice: forced early retirement, Gender pension gap, dependency

CEDAW General Rec. 27 on older women

States parties have an obligation to draft legislation recognizing and prohibiting violence….

Sexual Violence in Eastern DRC

Age Number Percentage

< 15 252 5.9

16-24 809 18.8

25-34 841 19.5

35-44 988 22.9

45-54 752 17.4

55-64 211 4.9

> 65 458 10.6

Total 4,311 100

Harvard Humanitarian Initiative /Oxfam 2010

The European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)

EU-wide Survey on Violence against women, 2014Citing source: FRA gender-based VAW survey dataset 2012

Experience of physical and/or sexual violence

WHO, 2013

Lifetime Prevalence of intimate partner violence by age group among ever-partnered women - WHO

Age group, years

Prevalence % 95% CI, %

15-19 29.4 26.8 to 32.1

20-24 31.6 29.2 to 33.9

25-29 32.3 30.0 to 34.6

30-34 31.1 28.9 to 33.4

35-39 36.6 30.0 to 43.2

40-44 37.8 30.7 to 44.9

45-49 29.2 26.9 to 31.5

50-54 25.5 18.6 to 32.4

55-59 15.1 6.1 to 24.1

60-64 19.6 9.6 to 29.5

65-69 22.2 12.8 to 31.6

The extent of elder abuseEstimated prevalence

Old, conservative rates: 4 to 6%

Latin America and the Caribbean 6 to 37%

China and South Korea 6% to 44%.

India (a HelpAge study in 20 cities) 31%

• Over 50% during 4 years in multiple forms

• 24% almost daily

(HelpAge India, 2012)1.67% in Rajasthan to 77% in Madhya Pradesh

The extent of the problem, India

Ecological model

Societal Community Relationship

IndividualIndividualRelationship

CommunitySocietal

Where do we start?

Interdisciplinary research and intergenerational action at all levels

Risk factors

Societal Community Relationship

IndividualIndividualRelationshi

pCommunity

Societal

Dementia / DepressionExperienced abuse/Aggression/Dependence / disabilityGender / AgeIsolation/ Substance dependence

Risk factors

Societal Community Relationship

IndividualIndividualRelationshipCommunity

Societal

Financial Dependence Emotional dependence Living arrangements Long-term abuse/violence Intergenerational transmission?

Risk factors

Societal Community Relationship

IndividualIndividualRelationshi

pCommunity

Societal

Social isolationConcentration of povertyWidowhoodWitchcraft accusations Lack of support networksErosion of intergenerational relations

Risk factors

Societal Community Relationship

IndividualIndividualRelationshi

pCommunity

Societal

Ageism, wide discriminationSexism/ racismSocio-economic factors/concentration of povertyInheritance systems/ WidowhoodMigration of the youngWeak police/criminal Justice

Concluding remarks

Scientific rigour humanistic model?

Towards a UN study on violence and abuse against older persons