India's Shame: 31 Percent Elders Face Abuse

Bangalore: Old age -“Is second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans taste, sans everything”, as quoted from the world’s greatest poet, William Shakespeare’s poem. Old age is the most important and final stage in the life process of mankind, and when the aged are often looked away by their own near and dear ones, it is during this phase in the life of a person where a shower of love and care is most needed.

In a developing nation like India, elder abuse is often found in a large numbers and they are abused especially by their own children or the in laws, as per a report by HelpAge India, a charity working for the country's elderly. HelpAge India in the year 2006 introduced ‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’ on June 15 for the first time in India with an aim to curb increasing case of crime and abuse against the elderly groups of our nation.

A long term awareness programme and movement was needed to be aware of the crime and abuse against the old. This campaign upholds the lives of the elderly to lead a happy and content life during their old age. So, in 2010, HelpAge India carried out its first widespread research study on Elder Abuse in India across 8 prominent Indian cities to expose the susceptibility of elders.

The recent report has revealed that “31percent of older persons nationwide reported facing abuse; surprisingly 75 percent of those who faced abuse lived with family and 69 percent were owners of the house in which they were living.”

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