The outbreak of the pandemic has been especially harsh on senior citizens. It is said that compared to 2019-20, the complaints on ill-treatment and abuse of the elderly in the State rose by a whopping 71.7%.
On Tuesday (June 15), which is observed as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a website to create awareness on elder abuse, how it can be prevented and how to report cases was launched by Praveen Sood, Director General and Inspector General of Police. The bilingual website - www.stopelderabuse.in - has been developed by Nightingales Medical Trust.
After launching the “elder friendly and easy to use” website, Mr. Sood said that in a Utopian situation, fewer people would have the need for the website. “However, the number of elders facing abuse is increasing by the day, with abusers mostly being family members. The worst part is that it happens within the four walls and often, doesn’t get reported,” he said.
Reiterating the commitment of the police to act swiftly in case of physical abuse of the elderly, he said that elderly were also falling prey to many cybercrimes. “There is a need to educate, warn, guide and handhold the elderly about this. It is a big challenge to support them and this is where Nightingales Medical Trust also plays an important role,” he said.
Radha Murthy, co-founder and managing trustee of Nightingales Medical Trust, said as the population of elders increases, so do the problems faced by them, particularly abuse that is in the form of physical or emotional. Though it is a universal problem, it is mostly unreported as abuse is often by family members.
According to data provided on the newly launched website, nearly 63% of elderly in the State are either abused verbally or emotionally, 43% face neglect, over 20% are financially exploited, while almost 18% face some form of physical abuse.
Helplines
There are three ways elders can get the help that they need. They may call the helplines – 1090 (Bengaluru Urban) or 14567 (rest of Karnataka), or send details on WhatsApp (8095001090), or file a complaint on the website. All complaints will be treated confidentially and the public may also file a complaint anonymously, it is said.
Website: www.stopelderabuse.in
