Psychological violence behind 95% of elder abuse complaints

The underestimation of the elderly is considered the most subtle among the forms of abuse

95% of cases of elder abuse received at the Domestic Violence Bureau (OVD) of the Supreme Court of Justice of the nation concern psychological violence and 77% of the victims are women, reported the organization yesterday . the eve of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, commemorated today.

In 2018, the OVD recorded 815 cases of people over 60 years of domestic violence, of which 57% coexisted with that reported at the time of the presentation.

According to the Buenos Aires city report, 86 per cent of the victims had a family relationship with the whistleblower reported: filial (46 per cent), couple (28 per cent), fraternal (6 per cent) and other up to the fourth degree of kinship (6%).

The badailants were adults aged 22 to 59 and most of the men.

In addition, the main offenders were adults aged 22 to 59 (73%) and mainly men (68%).

The OVD reported that "psychological abuse was present in almost all complaints (95%) and physical type in 51% of cases". In addition, environmental violence was detected (43%), symbolic (36%) and economic heritage (35%), among others.

For its part, the Undersecretariat for the Social Integration of the Elderly – which depends on human development and Buenos Aires Habitat – noted that so far, in 2019, it had intervened in 482 new cases of violence against the elderly, in which they warned of 1,969 abuses and abuses, that is, in some cases they found two or more types of violence.

"The psychological abuse is the one that occurs most frequently, often in cases of children and in situations of family abandonment and others due to the" lack of social support networks, "said Sergio Costantino, head of the secretariat.

In the city's statistics, psychological violence accounts for 34% of cases, followed by economic and heritage violence (13%) and health (13%); Physical violence was also identified (11%), neglect (7%), lack of a network (9%), abandonment (6%), housing issues (4%), environment (3%) and social security (1). %).

"In reality, psychological violence is present in all types of violence, when it is separated, it is because only this violence exists, but it remains the most widespread," said Laura Macazaga. . , Operational Director of the Buenos Aires Rights Protection Secretariat.

A form of subtle abuse

"With the elderly, we generally badume that we know better what is happening to them and that we make decisions for them.This often makes them persuaded, frightened and powerless," said psychologist Ricardo Iacub, of the subject Psychology of senior citizens and senior citizens dictated by the UBA Faculty of Psychology.

For Iacub, it is "in a very subtle but widespread form of violence that occurs not only in the family, but also in other spaces such as the medical consultation, where the professional, instead of talking to the elderly, tell him to the companion, or when he has to do a procedure. "

"This underestimation of the older person's ability to understand means that, for example, in front of a hearing-impaired person, no effort is made to speak, baduming that he will not understand us" , he added.

To deal with any violence and abuse, the Secretariat implements the Protect program and the application can enter through various means: phone (0800-222-4567), email ([email protected]), web forms. (https://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/desarrollohumanoyhabitat/personasmayores/denuncia-maltrato), spontaneous visits, referrals and other programs.

In resolution 66/127, the United Nations General Assembly designated June 15 as the World Day of Awareness of Abuse and Abuse of the Elderly.