All You Need to Know about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is observed on June 15 annually to highlight the issue of abuse and neglect of older persons.

The day aims to provide an opportunity for communities around the two spheres to promote a better understanding of the issue of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.

It also sheds light on the plight of elders at the hands of their sons, kins, friends, and society.

To mark the day, the UN will organize an event, sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations, to provide standards to prevent and combat elder abuse; as well as discuss the implementation of the five priorities of the Decade to tackle the abuse of older people through "evidence-based" gap maps, and population-based surveys.

The theme of this year is "Closing the Circle: Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Older Age - Policy, Law and Evidence-based Responses". The theme underscores the intersection of gender-based violence and elder abuse, specifically focusing on the experiences of older individuals.

According to the UN, the day recalls the need to combat the various forms of violence against older persons, a widespread phenomenon that includes discrimination in the public sphere, linguistic and employment discrimination, lack of access, isolation, neglect, financial exploitation, physical and psychological violence and the withholding of basic needs, and physical attacks. The issue of violence and abuse has been considered one of the priorities of the mandate of the UN Human Rights Office and is consistently addressed in thematic reports.

WHO said that the abuse of older people is an important public health problem. It also estimated that over the past year, 1 in 6 people (15.7%) aged 60 years and older were subjected to some form of abuse. Although rigorous data are limited, the review provides prevalence estimates of the proportion of older people affected by different types of abuse.

WHO further mentioned that abuse of older people can have serious physical and mental health, financial, and social consequences, including, for instance, physical injuries, premature mortality, depression, cognitive decline, financial devastation, and placement in nursing homes. For older people, the consequences of abuse can be especially serious and recovery may take longer.

It's worth mentioning that WEAAD was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 66/127, December 2011, following a request by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA), which first established the commemoration on June 15, 2006.