Abuse and neglect of elderly people is a painful reality that tends to be overlooked by society, the Cyprus Third Age Observatory said in a statement to mark World Elderly Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on Friday.
“At a time when the population in Cyprus is ageing, injustice and violence against this very vulnerable group is rising rapidly,” the observatory said.
The statement says society neglects to act in the face of these crimes which in most cases are invisible as they are committed in a private environment.
The elderly are often victims of their own family members, but also carers who can be violent and may neglect them or abuse them physically and psychologically.
“We are determined to promote effective measures and good practices to defend the human rights of the elderly and to create the conditions for active, healthy and dignified aging,” the statement said.
The office of the commissioner of volunteering also commented on the subject, saying that the abuse of elderly people is a global problem that requires attention and resolution and that we need to protect their rights.
World Elderly Abuse Awareness Day was established by the International Network for the Prevention of Mistreatment of the Elderly (Inpea) to raise awareness among the general public about ill treatment suffered by the elderly.
The first WEAAD was observed in 2012 and was marked by meetings and conferences at the UN headquarters in New York.
In addition to WEAAD, the UN also observes an International Day of Older Persons on October 1 every year to recognise the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives.
According to Inpea, ill-treatment suffered by the elderly is projected to increase globally, as almost all countries are expected to see a significant increase in the number of older people by 2030.
The UN reported that around one in six older people experienced some form of abuse in the past year.
The global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion in 2050.
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