Since 2006, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 15 as the World Elder Abuse Awareness Daya date to raise awareness about the constant abuse and mistreatment experienced by older people around the world.
According to data from the World Health Organization, between 4 and 6% of all older people in the world have suffered mistreatment and/or physical, financial or emotional abusewhich do not only come from their home or family environment, but from institutions, and despite putting their rights at risk, they are rarely attended to.
How do older adults live in Colombia?
In Colombia the situation for old age is no different. According to DANE figures for the year 2021, it is estimated that In the country there are 7,107,914 older adults, that is, 60 years and older; This is equivalent to 13.9% of the Colombian population, and it is estimated that by 2070 the figure will rise to 32%.
Different factors put older adults and their rights at risk of vulnerability, for example, the National Planning Department revealed one in five older adults is in povertyand returning to the DANE figures, by 2020 two out of every ten older people were in a situation of multidimensional poverty (18.0%), and at the same time, 24.1% were in monetary poverty.
Additionally, DANE stated that the Global Participation Rate in the Labor Market was 37.8%. This extended working life is due to several reasons, including that Only 25.5% of this population group has a pension.
Although it is not very clear whether this age group is mostly dedicated to formal or informal activities, according to the same report, agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing (26.0%) and commerce and vehicle repair (19.3%) %), were the branches of activity that most occupied these people. Likewise, it was found that domestic chores and care work are activities carried out mainly by women and, in most cases, it is unpaid work.
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In health matters, it was found that 45.5% of people diagnosed with a chronic disease are older adultsand according to the Ministry of Health, they usually suffer from two or more diseases, which is based on the natural development of life and the physical wear and tear that can be evident at this age.
Likewise, José Manuel Santacruz Escudero, liaison psychiatrist, psychogeriatrician and director of the Institute of Aging at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, points out in a publication made by the Pesquisa Javeriana, that although High blood pressure is the first chronic cause of health in older adults, there is a second, with high prevalence, and that is depression.which according to the article, “manifests itself in around 40% of this population.”
There, Dr. Santacruz explains that “depression is a central issue” arguing that “mental illnesses generate a high degree of disability and that it is not a minor issue, but rather they are a lot of links that come together and lead to a horrible phenomenon such as suicide.”
This is supported by figures, presented in the same article, and published by the WHO and the Global Health Observatory, which show that The highest suicide rate in Colombia in 2019 corresponds to people over 85 years of age, with 11.7%followed by people between 75 and 84 years old, with 8.06%, and followed by young people between 15 and 24 who represented 5.86%.
This general overview, although brief, is worthy of attention and raises the importance of there being more and better public policies that allow dignified life and inclusion for older people in a society that rarely develops real actions to safeguard their rights.
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How to report cases of abandonment or abuse against older adults?
On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we remind you that If you are a witness or know of a case in which older adults are violatedyou can go to institutions such as:
- The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF): national toll-free line 01 8000 91 80 80.
- Attorney General’s Office – Center for Comprehensive Care for Victims of Sexual Violence (CAIVAS): email [email protected]
- The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF): toll-free lines 01 8000- 914 860 and 01 8000- 914 862.
- Judicial police: line for Bogotá 515- 91- 11/ 91-12 and rest of the country: 01 8000- 910- 112.
- Houses of Justice and Citizen Coexistence: national line 123, which corresponds to the unique security and emergency number.
- Family police stations.
What is considered elder abuse?
According to the Ministry of Health, which is the governing body of the Public Policy on Human Aging and Old Age, any “action or omission that causes harm, violates respect for dignity and the exercise of rights, is recognized as abuse of the elderly. rights of an older person. It also determines that there are two types:
- Individual direct abuse: emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, physical abuse or mistreatment, financial abuse, sexual abuse and Abandonment.
- Indirect social abuse: old age, infantilism and cultural abuse.
Learn more about the regulations that cover the rights of the elderly here.
