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REPORT FOLLOW UP ON UN WORLD ASSEMBLY ON AGEING - NEGLECT, ABUSE & VIOLENCE AGAINST OLDER WOMEN

 

Direct Link to Full 17-Page UN 2014 Report:

http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N14/481/62/PDF/N1448162.pdf?OpenElement

 

III NEGLECT, ABUSE & VIOLENCE AGAINST OLDER WOMEN

 

22. In 2012, the second review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action showed that abuse and violence against older persons had become a growing concern for Member States, in all regions, regardless of their level of development (A/68/167).  The findings drew specific attention to the abuse and violence directed at older women, as accused of witchcraft in a number of African and some Asian countries, and as the financial abuse of women in terms of lacking assets owing to discriminatory property and inheritance laws.

 

23. In the wake of the growing attention to these issues, the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, pursuant to General Assemhly Resolution 67/143, organized the Expert Group Meeting on Neglect, Abuse and Violence of Older Women, which was held from 5 to 7 November 2013, and in 2013 issued the Publication Neglect, Abuse & Violence against Older Women.

 

Full Report Text: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/ageing/neglect-abuse-violence-older-women.pdf

 

24. The Expert Group Meeting focused on the conceptual, policy and societal challenges related to neglect, abuse and violence against older women.....

 

25. The publication Neglect, Abuse and Violence against Older Women, presents an overview of the current state of knowledge of the main forms of abuse, the risk factors and the consequences for health, and discusses the prevalence of the different forms of abuse and the sources of data. It also gives an account of some of the main preventative measures for addressing such neglect, violence and abuse.

 

26. It is critical to view the abuse of older women not just within the context of the demographics of ageing where women outnumber men, but in the context of a life course of discrimination, oppression and abuse. Violence against women is rooted in historical and structural inequality in power relations between women and men, and occurs in every country. And, gender-based violence is a form of discrimination that violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. However, neglect and abuse of, and violence against, older women are often not acknowledged or recognized.

 

27. Neglect, abuse and violence against older women often go undetected. The issue is still a hidden problem owing to various factors, such as underreporting and the refusal of societies to admit the existence of such maltreatment. As a consequence, there is limited knowledge of its actual extent.