WUNRN
REPORT FOLLOW UP ON UN WORLD
ASSEMBLY ON AGEING - NEGLECT, ABUSE & VIOLENCE AGAINST OLDER WOMEN
Direct Link to Full 17-Page UN 2014
Report:
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.