Wednesday, June 15, 2011

India's elderly suffer major verbal and physical abuse by Daughter-In-Laws silently: HelpAge report

India has over 90 million elderly persons above the age of 60 years and many of them, silently suffer abuse in the hands of either their daughters-in-law or sons, according to a survey report by HelpAge India.
The study, made public yesterday on the eve of the sixth World Elder Abuse awareness

Day, has found that about 41% felt that there has been an increase in the rate of crime against the elderly in the past three years.
"More than half of India's senior citizens surveyed feel that they are soft targets for crime," the report said.
HelpAge India is a leading humanitarian, development and campaign organisation working with and for older people in India for more than 30 years.
The World Elder Awareness Day evolved from its nascent stage in 1997 initiated by a small group in Australia, to becoming an issue that saw United Nations endorsing and making it a global concern.
At present, the UN recognises elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.

The grim fact, according to the report, is that 98% of the elderly in India surveyed did not file any official complaint. "This showed that they are silently suffering abuse," it said.

The report found 63% of daughters-in-law as the major abusers of the elderly, followed by the sons (44 per cent).

Common indians anlysis - The 44% abuse by Sons as mentioned above is also due to the instigation and blackmailing done by their wives ( Daughter in laws for elderly) by threatening with IPC 498a – the dowry harassment case. These daughter in laws and her parents are misusing and abusing flagrantly and blatantly. All this is resultant to Feminsist lobby (backed by USAIDS and other funds) strongly arm twisting  the govt to remain submissiove to let such foreign agencies destroy the social amd family fabric of INDIA and thereby weaken 

The HelpAge report said that Delhi NCR region reported the highest (100%) number of the incidences in the hands of daughters-in-laws.

The percentage of elderly reporting ownership status of house living is among the lowest in Kolkata (15%).

It said that nearly 52% of the elderly surveyed were illiterate and 66% were financially dependent on others with half of the elderly depending on daughters-in-law for assistance in daily activities.

"A very high 85% of the elders were dependent on others for medical expenditure," it said.

The survey report further revealed that nearly 60% of the elderly consider verbal abuse as elder abuse while 48% felt physical abuse constitutes elder abuse.

Common indian’s analysis – There is 100 % Mental and psychological abuse and harassment of elderly parents of son done by their Daughter in laws

"As a result of the current aging scenario, there is a growing need for care of the older persons in terms of social, economic, health and shelter. Security of older persons in India is also emerging as an issue.

Common indian’s analysis –The major cause of such harassment is heavy misuse and abuse of Judicial and Police machinery by invoking IPC 498a misuse, Protection of women against domestic violence act 2005 ( PWDVA ) and other matrimonial laws abuse since these are severly loaded towards wife ( daughter in law ) and are biased and wife centric laws

"With more old people living longer, the households are getting smaller and congested, causing stress in families and marginalization, isolation and insecurity among older persons," it added.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-s-elderly-suffer-abuse-silently-HelpAge-report/Article1-709629.aspx