Watchdog highlights abuse of the elderly
Elderly people are subject to verbal, psychological, physical, sexual and financial abuse, the watchdog for Cyprus’ Elderly said Monday on elderly abuse awareness day. “Society is continuing to remain idle and incapable of acting on these hushed up crimes, which most of the time occur in the personal space of...
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Elderly people are subject to verbal, psychological, physical, sexual and financial abuse, the watchdog for Cyprus’ Elderly said Monday on elderly abuse awareness day.
“Society is continuing to remain idle and incapable of acting on these hushed up crimes, which most of the time occur in the personal space of the elderly, with the aggressors being their own family members, maids or carers,” the watchdog said.
The watchdog said they would continue working towards ensuring effective measures and good practices to support the human rights of the elderly.
“The elderly many times cannot find the courage to speak up, because the person abusing them is a very close and loved individual.”
This leads many elderly people to not file complaints with authorities as they are sometimes financially supported by the abuser, leading them to fear about losing the limited finances they have, the watchdog said.
The watchdog added some elderly people feel their ‘actions’ warrant this treatment, and others feel they might become victims of revenge, if they file complaints against their abusers.
Some also fail to file complaints with authorities because they believe their reports will not be believed.
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