The right to live with dignity and dignity is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution.
Kundan Kumar
The gradual change in the structure of the Indian family, from joint to nuclear families, has weakened the stature and authority of the elders in the family. Elders have felt neglected on many occasions for not being involved in the decision-making process of the family. In a UNFPA survey, nearly ten percent of older people admitted that they had experienced some form of abuse or disrespect.
The right to live with dignity and dignity is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. To hurt someone’s honor or to discriminate or misbehave with someone is a violation of the fundamental right of that person. Nowadays cases of misbehavior with senior citizens keep getting published in the newspapers. Actually, discrimination or mistreatment of senior citizens is a violation of their fundamental rights. In such a situation, the question is bound to arise that who is the protector of the fundamental rights of the elderly?
Looking at the social structure of western countries, despite the development of strong social support system, a large number of senior citizens are victims of abuse and neglect of family members, caregivers and neighbours, raising concerns on the forehead of civilized society. Is. It has also emerged in the study related to the elderly that the cases of abuse and neglect of them are increasing progressively.
A review of all the studies around the world shows that abuse and discrimination against the elderly occurs in both developed and developing countries. With the extent of abuse of the elderly around the world, there is a wide variation in the nature of abuse. Neglect or verbal abuse has been seen as the most common abuse in some studies, while some studies have considered that physical abuse is the most common of abuses faced by the elderly.
Female elders in general are at higher risk of abuse or neglect. Most reports also confirm that people aged eighty years or more who are financially dependent on caregivers to meet their basic needs are more prone to abuse. They are more exploited than the elderly in other age groups.
Abuse and neglect of elders was not considered a serious issue in Indian society. His views were respected in every small and big decision of the family. However, with the changing economic and social realities, changes within the living arrangements and family structure have deeply affected the lifestyle of senior citizens.
With the disintegration of the joint family, the migration of the younger generations in search of employment opportunities results in the elderly of the family being left alone in homes, where they have no one but isolation. The limited success of social security systems for the elderly has further complicated the problem. However, since the last decade, people have started talking openly on this subject. Abuse of the elderly is now being marked as a major problem in the society.
A report by Help Age India 2021 revealed that more than sixty-one percent of the elderly in twenty-three Indian cities are victims of abuse and neglect. According to the report, during the period of COVID epidemic, the elderly were forced to stumble from time to time for treatment. More than forty percent of the elderly surveyed admitted that they had to manage medical care and medicine on their own during COVID.
The family members did not even consider it appropriate to go near him during this time. Not only this, 36.8 percent of the elderly said that their future has become bleak due to the COVID epidemic. 48.7 percent of the elderly were also in this survey, who said that their own children did not treat them humanely during COVID. It was also revealed in this report that they commit serious crimes like their own assault with the elderly. Twenty-five percent of the elderly accepted it.
Generally, when women reach old age, their condition becomes more serious than men. The fight between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has become a house-to-house story today. In addition, older women are more vulnerable to violence when they become widows. Economic dependence and living arrangements have emerged as a major factor in the abuse and neglect of the elderly in India.
HelpAge India conducted a study across ten cities in India, in which seventy-three percent of youth admitted that they knew about abuse and neglect of the elderly. But most of them were unwilling to act or intervene. In addition, thirty-five percent of the youth said that they had witnessed such incidents in their families or in their homes.
A Help Age India 2018 survey found that the abusers included close family members such as sons and daughters-in-law. More than 60 percent of the elderly believed that the quality time previously spent with adult children and grandchildren decreased with excessive use of phones and computers.
Cultural norms and intergenerational support systems determine the living arrangements of the elderly. The gradual change in the structure of the Indian family from joint to nuclear families has weakened the stature and authority of the elders in the family. Elders have felt neglected on many occasions for not being involved in the decision-making process of the family. About ten percent of the elderly in the UNFPA survey admitted that they had experienced some form of abuse or disrespect. Thirty-five percent of the elderly said they had faced multiple forms of abuse.
Abuse and neglect towards the elderly adversely affects their physical and mental health as well as their lives in general. Studies have shown that older people who have faced any form of humiliation or abuse are more prone to depression. In a survey, it has been found that in the age group of sixty to sixty-nine years, about nine per cent of the elders suffered abuse and humiliation, while fourteen per cent of the elderly in the eighty years and above group suffered neglect.
An interesting fact emerged from the study that elders who had lost a spouse were more likely to face abuse and neglect than married elderly couples. The survey also revealed that elderly people living alone and those belonging to rural areas were more prone to abuse and neglect. Studies testify that educated elders are relatively less likely to sip humiliation or neglect. Elders with secondary or higher education are fifty percent less likely to be abused than illiterate elders. A large proportion of the elderly are forced to live alone due to the urge to live a better life and move out of their local settlements and the growing trend of nuclear families.
Our culture never advocates abuse or humiliation of the elderly. Our elders are not just breakers of free bread, but are our heritage. By focusing on the human values of love, care and respect for the elderly, and valuing their efforts and experiences, we can create a hopeful and thoughtful world for them.