Dr Mala Kapur Shankardass, INPEA Regional Representative for
Asia, Regional Report prepared for INPEA 6th International
Conference on Elder Abuse, 17th June, 2011 - London, UK. [Note:
while Dr. Shankardass as standing by on Skype, due to technical difficulties this report
was unable to be presented “live” on June 17]
We have had various successful events in different Asian
countries to observe WEAAD and also a few articles related to
elder abuse issues, empowerment of older people, and
emphasizing the rights of older people that have been published
in the last few days. I have shared my articles with many of you
and I will be compiling and sending soon information about
others’ contributions and events coinciding with 15th June 2011.
All these programs give recognition to the fact that in Asian
countries concerns related to older people and abuse, neglect
and exploitation are now being placed in the public domain and
that there are legal, public health and societal responses
emerging. However, while it is true that some countries have
made great progress towards giving importance to elder abuse
and neglect concerns, there are still some where governments,
NGOs and other agencies are yet reluctant to acknowledge
these problems facing older people as a concern requiring
interventions.
I am happy to report that in India for the first time the Delhi
Government which consists of members of the Congress party,
the ruling political party in the country, has given a half page
advertisement in newspapers clearly stating the announcement
of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the government’s
commitment towards the health and well being of all senior
citizens with promise to continue improving & expanding its
services to make their golden years happier and dignified.
Significantly, the government has announced neglect &
abandonment of senior citizens as a cognizable offence
punishable with a fine of Indian Rupees 5,000 or three months
imprisonment or both. The government now has a slogan
“society that cares for its elderly is a caring and loving society”.
I can say that to some extent credit goes to INPEA as we have
been able to make an impact and, in the programs organized by
me for the last 6 years, there have always been participation of
government, legal, police and NGOs who are now extremely
conscious of these concerns. This is hopeful for realizing the
rights of older people & I am sure Dr Goel, who has taken over
from me as the National Rep for India, will make a meaningful
impact.
I see similar trends in other Asian countries. For instance, in
Japan, as INPEA representative shares with me, in observance
of the annual WEAAD, there is participation of important leaders
and experts working on elder abuse issues, which I think gives a
significant push to bringing the topic and related matters into
the public domain. In Japan, the rights of older people are well
recognized as they have a legal policy framework for improving
the health and welfare of older persons and for their economic
participation. Japan is the only country in the Region that has
provided social insurance to homemakers that ensures access
to financial security in later life to women who have no
occupational history. Similarly, political will to strengthen
programs in the interest of older people is visible in Singapore.
There are provisions in the Singapore Penal Code that pertain to
protecting seniors from financial, physical and sexual abuse.
In 2010 for the first time, the establishment of a basic elderly
care system was included in China's 12th Five-Year Plan.
However, the country continues to face the burden of care of
older people, even though substantial progress has been made
towards recognizing the rights of older people.
The Republic of Korea and Hong Kong give tax exemption to
adult children caring for ageing parents when they live with
them or provide financial assistance. In other smaller countries
such as Nepal, where INPEA Representative, Mr Upreti has been
very active in bringing attention to elder abuse issues, many
programs even though on a small scale have been launched on
aged care management with the support of the government and
civil society members. They have also been able to get media
focus on these issues.
However the assessment of various measures and programs in
Asian countries in reducing elder abuse prevalence and
incidence has to be studied. I would like to point out that in
Asian countries we need to bring concerted effort to have
national studies on prevalence estimates of elder abuse and
then move from awareness to action towards interventions for
reducing abuse and neglect by recognizing gender dimensions
of the problem and identifying risk factors. It is without doubt
that in the Asian context conceptual clarity on defining elder
abuse has to move more rapidly and education and training of
researchers and practitioners has to be given lots of attention.
We need to strengthen mechanisms to stop different kinds of
abuse which in turn needs sharpening of our detection and
prevention tools.
As the regional representative of INPEA for Asia I pledge today
to do more on these issues in as many countries I can. For this
to happen I need your support and partnerships and I am
hopeful of that from all of you present at this conference. Lets
continue to work together.
Thank you and best wishes to all.