World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2021: 73% of elderly faced abuse during lockdown; history and significance of day

The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed on 15 June to highlight the issue of elder abuse. Initially, in 2006, a request to establish 15 June as a special day for elders and senior citizens was made. However, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) finally recognised the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in 2011. The day aims at raising awareness about elder abuse which can be physical, mental, sexual, financial and social in nature and also includes ill-treatment and neglect. As per a survey conducted by the Agewell Foundation, around 73 percent of elders faced abuse during the coronavirus lockdown amid the ongoing second wave in India. Released ahead of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2021, the findings showed that the pandemic has adversely affected the lives of 82 percent of the respondents. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2021 theme The theme this year is ‘Access to Justice’, which aims at reminding the importance to address the needs of elders who may seek recourse. The older generation who have gone through abuse, violence and neglect often face problems in accessing judicial remedies owing issues of affordability, accessibility, gender bias, the impact of digitalisation, excessive delays and backlogs in judicial processes, reasonable accommodation, and discrimination. The ability to fully exercise their human rights gets impacted by their access to justice. For elders, the preservation of respect and dignity is crucial in such situations. Aim of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Elder abuse is a global social issue that affects the health (physical/mental) of older generation and diminishes their rights. The aim of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is to educate our communities on a global level about the abuse and neglect of elders. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day history After receiving a request from the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA), the UNGA first recognised the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in its resolution 66/127, December 2011. The commemoration was first established by the INPEA in June 2006.