{"id":18144,"date":"2016-06-20T21:24:47","date_gmt":"2016-06-20T21:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=18144"},"modified":"2018-04-22T11:59:14","modified_gmt":"2018-04-22T15:59:14","slug":"on-world-day-ban-calls-for-ending-elder-abuse-as-a-pathway-towards-global-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2016\/06\/on-world-day-ban-calls-for-ending-elder-abuse-as-a-pathway-towards-global-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"On World Day, Ban calls for ending elder abuse as a pathway towards Global Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>15 June 2016 \u2013 Marking World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, United Nations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sg\/\">Secretary-General<\/a> Ban Ki-moon today emphasized that ending neglect, abuse and violence against older people is crucial as the international community continues to work together towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and fulfill their underlying pledge to leave no one behind.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div id=\"story-content\" class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"span8\">\n<div id=\"fullstory\">\n<p>\u201cAbuse and violence directed at older people take many forms, including partner and stranger violence, psychological and emotional abuse and financial exploitation,\u201d Mr. Ban said in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/events\/elderabuse\/2016\/sgmessage.shtml\">message<\/a> to mark the Day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn this Day, I call upon Member States and civil society to strengthen their resolve and redouble their efforts to eliminate all forms of violence and abuse against older people,\u201d he added, highlighting that the <a href=\"https:\/\/sustainabledevelopment.un.org\/post2015\/transformingourworld\">2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/a> aims to end poverty and build a more sustainable world for all.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/events\/elderabuse\/index.shtml\">World Elder Abuse Awareness Day<\/a> \u2013 observed annually on 15 June since it was proclaimed by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly in 2011 \u2013 aims to spotlight the global social issues affecting elderly people. The commemoration also brings the attention of the international community on the safeguarding of older human beings from mistreatment and suffering.<\/p>\n<p>Elder abuse can be defined as \u201ca single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.\u201d Such abuse can take various forms, including physical, psychological or emotional, sexual and financial abuse, and can also be the result of intentional or unintentional neglect.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 hundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-overflow:visible;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"--awb-max-width:600px;--awb-max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:58.33%;\" ><iframe title=\"YouTube video player 1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/URxo7JJhHNg?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture;\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><em>Empowering Older Women &#8211; The forgotten half-billion<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Noting that older women suffer from age and gender discrimination and are more vulnerable than men, Mr. Ban pointed out that World Health Organization (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/en\/\">WHO<\/a>) estimates show that up to 10 per cent of older people may be affected in some countries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbuse of older women often follows a lifetime of discrimination, violence and oppression. I am particularly alarmed by growing reports of older women who are accused of witchcraft, making them targets of abuse from their own families and communities,\u201d Mr. Ban said.<\/p>\n<p>Along those lines, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, warned that insufficient action is being taken to stop elder abuse around the world, and called on anyone who suspects such a case to immediately report it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne in ten older persons experience abuse every month. So, tomorrow it may well be you,\u201d Ms. Kornfeld-Matte <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/NewsEvents\/Pages\/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20094&amp;LangID=E\">said<\/a> in a statement released by the Office of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ High Commissioner for Human Rights (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/Pages\/WelcomePage.aspx\">OHCHR<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The Independent Expert noted that elder abuse occurs anywhere in institutional settings, but often also at home, and it affects older persons across all socio-economic groups. Manifestations include physical violence, sexual or emotional abuse, abandonment, and neglect, as well as financial or material exploitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the reasons for lack of action is that most people would rather not think of themselves as frail and dependent and, therefore, do not feel concerned. For others, it may be inconceivable that those who are closest to them today \u2013 their beloved ones \u2013 may be the perpetrators of tomorrow,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"carousel-inner\">\n<div class=\"item\"><a class=\"lightbox\" title=\"What is elder abuse? It's the abuse and neglect of older people. It takes many forms. Source: WHO\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/News\/dh\/photos\/large\/2016\/June\/06-15-who-elder-abuse-01.jpg\" rel=\"gallery-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/News\/dh\/photos\/large\/2016\/June\/06-15-who-elder-abuse-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThose concerned \u2013 the older persons who are physically restrained, left in soiled clothes, overmedicated or emotionally neglected \u2013 may not speak up for fear of reprisals or to protect relatives from criminal prosecution,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Kornfeld-Matte emphasized that most cases of elder abuse go undetected and prevalence rates are likely to be underestimated. It is therefore essential to continue to raise awareness to help prevent some abuse cases and to ensure that those that take place are immediately reported, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Warning signs can include unexplained bruises, lack of medical care, malnutrition or dehydration, unexplained changes of alertness and sudden changes in finances and accounts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, I urge everyone who suspects a case of elder abuse: report your concerns,\u201d the Independent Expert said.<\/p>\n<p>via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/apps\/news\/story.asp?NewsID=54235#.V2gla7srLcs\" target=\"_blank\">Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ News Centre<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marking World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today emphasized that ending neglect, abuse and violence against older people is crucial as the international community continues to work together towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and fulfill their underlying pledge to leave no one behind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reduced-inequality","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}