New Delhi, June 14
One in three elderly in India is facing abuse and a majority of them is residing with their families. The third annual HelpAge Survey on Elder Abuse in India released today revealed details of how an ageing India is silently suffering abuse to preserve family honour.

Almost half of the abused (55 per cent) elderlies knew about social protection mechanisms but didn’t use them for lack of faith in the system’s ability to solve their problems. There are 100 million elderlies in India. The United Nations projects 326 million elderlies by 2050.

The most important finding of this year’s survey is the return of sons as the principal abusers. More than half (56 per cent) of the 5,400 elderlies (above 60 years’ old) interviewed in 20 cities said sons were the main abusers; 23 per cent named daughters-in-law; 3 per cent named daughters; 9 per cent named relatives and another 6 per cent named servants. Last year, 63.4 per cent elderlies had named their daughters-in-law for abuse.

The survey, which comes soon after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh constituted the National Council for Senior Citizens, bares the hollowness of existing laws (mainly the Maintenance of Parents and Older Persons Act, 2007) with most elderlies not using them to seek social protection. That’s significant considering 75 per cent of the elderlies being abused are living with their families and 69 per cent own the house where they are facing abuse.

“Majority who didn’t report abuse did so to maintain family honour. Of those who reported, 49 per cent told a family member instead of using a government redressal mechanism,” said Mathew Cherian, head, HelpAge India after Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Tejendra Khanna released the report.

Police helplines were known to 45 per cent of the abused elderlies, but they did not use these helplines to report abuse. The survey highlights the need to revise social protection policies with 62 per cent older persons saying the only solution to the problem is sensitisation of children and improvement of family bonding; only 38 per cent think economic independence will help.

At present, 58 per cent of India’s elderlies live with their families. The HelpAge report affirms family’s ability to care for them provided children are better sensitised.

“The report shows how an overwhelming majority living with the family didn’t face abuse, though the opposite was also true. The fact that older persons remain silent instead of seeking maintenance from their children through the law reveals the importance of family as the mainstay of social support,” the report concludes, calling for nationwide programmes in schools on issues of ageing and culturally sensitive policies to help the old seek justice.

In the survey, 44 per cent elderly identified disrespect as the foremost form of abuse, followed by 20 per cent who named neglect and 26 per cent who named verbal abuse, including name calling.