Awareness of elder abuse, and specifically violence against older women is growing. Despite this, older women and how violence affects them, is regularly absent from discussions about gender violence. Present across cultures, and sometimes called ‘the last taboo’, violence against older women is often an invisible problem. Not only is this an issue which is rarely talked about, but data on gender-based violence is rarely collected for people older than 49. This needs to change so that we know more about violence against older women.
At the UN, two of SI’s UN Representatives, Sabine Kinzer (Geneva) and Martina Gredler (Vienna) work on the UN NGO Committee on Ageing. The Geneva and Vienna committees advocate for governments to take action on elder abuse, and support the development of international consensus on supporting the needs of older people.
Today, as SI looks at the issue of gender-based violence against older people, Sabine and Martina use their experiences at the United Nations to explore this little talked about issue.
"2015 has been a busy year for the NGO Committee on Ageing, Geneva" says SI UN Representative, Geneva, Sabine Kinzer. "24 November brought the good news that the Third Committee of the GA adopted the resolution: ‘’Measures to enhance the promotion and protection of the human rights and dignity of older persons’’. There were many informal negotiations to find consensus and the original draft was ‘softened’ considerably – still, it is good that consensus was reached. The formal adoption of the GA will take place sometime in December.
Demonstrating the growing understanding that united action is needed to protect older people, also this year the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) publish the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons. This Convention includes Access to Palliative Care and to Treatment for Pain. It is the first instrument that explicitly includes palliative care – including Access to palliative care treatment and care, Access to medicines across the globe and Research to improve the quality of care including palliative care for older people.
Photo: Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, visiting NGO Committee on Ageing, Geneva
When we talk about violence against older women – is it elder abuse? Is it domestic or family violence? Is it all of the above? There is no true answer – but there is an obligation to create capacity to help women of all ages in any system they feel comfortable with, and respond to their needs.
It was in 2002 – World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
(INPEA) framed elder abuse as ‘single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action occurring within any relationship, where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or destress to an older person.’ So, it is not long since that the world came to realize that elder abuse is a multi-faceted global phenomenon. And elder abuse is a factor that predominantly comprises women, especially since there is a ‘feminization of ageing’. Violence begins often at home and is often invisible and an unreported occurrence. In this context, a strong focus must be put on the care giver and care giving stress, and it is worthwhile reflecting that people who are vulnerable are not necessarily at risk, and people who are at risk are not necessarily vulnerable.
It has been called a last taboo in the Report of the side event: ‘Falling between the Cracks’ that Geneva’s NGO Committee on Ageing organized, together with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on 15 June – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD).
1 October 2015 saw the 25th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons. The theme this year was ‘Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment’. This theme has direct bearing on the achievements of the SDGs which were adopted on 25 September. Since the number of people aged 60+ living in cities is projected to grow to more than 900 million by 2050, there is evidently need to make cities inclusive and provide safe environments. It is a question of value. When individuals and society no longer value older women, abuse is easily denied or tolerated. Independent Expert, Rosa Matte Kornfeld, emphasized during this meeting that older persons are right holders and must be able to live free from violence and abuse and with dignity.
Our NGO Committee was active at the governmental and non-governmental level to continue raising general awareness about the important issues that are connected with ageing in society worldwide. Geneva strengthens relationships with NGOs by providing a platform for strategy development, bringing diverse voices from local and national levels to international platforms, drawing on the experience of committee members to share analyses on trends, needs and good practices and maintaining regular communication with the Vienna and New York UN NGO Committees on Ageing and with the UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG)".
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With growing agreement on the need to confront violence against older people, the specifics of positive policy change also needs to be explored. Causes and effects of violence, as well as different forms of abuse need to be confronted. Martina Gredler, writes about these nuances, and how all countries need to engage with them to help solve elder abuse.
"Older women are at greater risk of abuse and violence. It is a major policy issue in all regions, regardless of the level of development”, states Martina Gredler, SI UN Representative in Vienna and member of the UN NGO Committee on Ageing. “Older women face greater risks of physical and psychological abuse due to discriminatory societal attitudes and the general non-realization of the human rights of women. Some harmful traditional practices result in abuse and violence directed at older women, often exacerbated by poverty and lack of access to legal protection.
"When we talk about abuse, neglect, physical or sexual abuse is often the first categories which are thought of. However, in addition to these violations, there are other forms of violence against older women which are also abuse. Psychological or emotional abuse can cause significant mental pain and distress to older women. This is thought to be one of the most common forms of abuse, and is hard to detect because it is often put down to ‘aging processes. Self-neglect is also often ignored for this reason. Despite whether it is wilful or not, self-neglect prevents older women from meeting their own basic needs. Regardless, more needs to be done to ensure all elderly people receive proper care, that their needs are met, and that they can live free from violence and abuse.
Older women may not come forward to seek help if they are experiencing abuse for complex psycho-social reasons. Some of these reasons are:
They may not identify as abuse: Abuse against older women is often well hidden, has been ongoing for many years and many may not call their experiences as domestic or family violence.
Living in fear: They may be afraid of the consequences of intervention including, retaliation, appearing in court, leaving home, being placed in a home, divorce, becoming estranged from friends and other family members including grandchildren, and, therefore, having to start over.
Loss of Security: They may be physically, socially and financially dependent on the abusive partner / family member and are worried for the future.
Lack of Awareness: They may have lack of awareness of their rights and of the services available.
Medical Conditions: Some older women may have a physical or mental disability which could make it more difficult for them to access support. This situation is worsened if the abusing partner/ family member are also part of their career.
Language and Cultural Barriers: Women from culturally diverse backgrounds face many added barriers including racism and discrimination.
Violence against older women must be a major policy issue for all counties. Recently, the NGO Committee on Ageing in Vienna held an event in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry on Interior Affairs and the Austrian Police. In part, this event aimed to raise awareness about the problem of ‘lack of visibility’ older women face. Many older women report that they feel invisible in society, again making it harder for the issue of elder abuse to be discussed and for its prevalence to be acknowledged. This may also be a reason why many of the ‘symptoms’ of elder abuse are routinely thought to be something else. For example, In a Hong Kong study on elder abuse by caregivers of older adults dwelling in community centres for the elderly, 28% of older women reported experiencing verbal abuse, 6% cent reported experiencing physical abuse and 29% reported having experienced a violation of their personal rights.
Importantly, the UN has made two major steps regarding the focus on violence against older women: the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), and the Toronto Declaration on Elder Mistreatment (WHO) focused on the elimination of all forms of neglect, abuse and violence against the elderly. In the Toronto Declaration, the abuse of elders is defined as “a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person. It can be of various forms: physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, and financial, or simply reflecting intentional or unintentional neglect.” This internationally agreed language can help guide legislation to protect victims of violence against older women.
Links : International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
WHO Fact Sheet 357 Elder Abuse updated October 2015
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