Daughters-in-law abuse elderly more, says HelpAge India study
Daughters-in-law are the worst abusers of the elderly in homes in Thiruvananthapuram, a study conducted by HelpAge India says.
The
study, covering 24 cities including the Kerala capital, released here
on Friday, says that daughters-in-law constituted 44 per cent of the
abusers, followed by daughters (32 per cent) and sons (24 per cent). The
study was released to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Saturday.
The
report says that the elders’ perception of abuse constituted neglect
(38 per cent), economic exploitation (27 per cent), and disrespect (35
per cent). Among the abused, 24 per cent made an attempt to report it,
their first choice being a community leader. Their second choice was the
local police and the third choice relatives, friends, and NGOs.
Those
who did not report abuse did so in order to maintain confidentiality of
family matters; ignorance about the best way to deal with the problem;
or lack of confidence in the ability of the person or agency.
Twenty
two per cent of those surveyed reported experiencing abuse, 34 per cent
of them experienced abuse for three to five years. For 33 per cent of
the respondents, abuse was a daily experience. Among those who reported
abuse, 89 per cent of the elderly belong to age group of 60-70 years, 10
per cent to 71-80 years. The mean age of those who reported abuse was
65 years. Forty five per cent of respondents were postgraduates, 25 per
cent graduates. Among them, 85 per cent were married and 14 per cent
were widows or widowers, the study says.
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