"I rely on my son and daughter-in-law to provide meals and medicines. My daughter-in-law orders me to wash clothes and utensils and if I deny she threatens me of not giving me meals and medicines. When they (her son's family) go out, they lock me inside the house, all along for long hours."
These type of statements from old-aged people are very common in our society. Everyday, newspapers, in our country are filled with such incidents which shows the ugly side of old age in the country. The bitter truth in India is that, after retirement, many elderly people are forced to live a life of humiliation, abuses and isolation. Ways of elder abuse includes- • Denial of food & medicine • Abusing, Humiliation & Beating • Forced to do household works • Snatching their belongings even useful legal ducuments.
According to a report by Agewell Foundation in 37% cases elders are misbehaved and in 20% cases they are restricted to four walls. They are mentally tortured in 13% cases and harassed physically in 9% cases which includes beating. In such a scenario, one is compelled to think about the living conditions of the aged from the economically weaker sections.
The main question arises here is that why all these are happening? Who is more responsible for all these things? The premier cause of the old-aged abuse is their lack of proper source of income. About 65% of old people are poor without any source of income. But the positive side is that 35% still have money and belongings. But the fact is that both the types of people are facing the abuse and harassment. This is more important to note down that irrespective of their financial status, most old aged are facing the abuse. According to the study, a majority of older persons face elder abuse all the time throughout their old age irrespective of their financial or social status, health condition and role in their respective family. The population of senior citizen( age 60+) over the globe is set to touch approx. 1.2 Billion by 2025, according to UN. And around 5-6% of elderly people have experienced some form of maltreatment at home. This data is much higher in India with 20% or above. Lack of awareness about their rights also make the condition of elders inhuman. It is also found in the study that older women are more sufferer than their male counterpart. The cause is their being traditionally housewives.
From my own experience i must say that the condition of old aged in villages are more crummy than that of cities. I can't help myself from telling you a story of an old age people in my village- Sukhdev Sharma. We call him baba(Grandfather). He is a retired military man. And now he is nothing except a null. Whatever he brought as retirement gave away to his son, who spent whole of the money fighting the election of Mukhia and then he bought a house in Patna and live there with his wife and children. But the worst part of the story is that Sukhdev Sharma live in the village with nobody to care him and his old ill wife. His monthly pensions are also used by his son. This is not a single story but I am sure there are many of such elders facing this situations. I have seen people sending their parents away from the house forcing them to cook their own food separately.
Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, an UN observance observed on 15 June every year by United Nations. It is an opportunity to share information and spread awareness about abuse, neglect and exploitation in the life of elder people. Take a stand against elder abuse.
