HONG KONG: Cases of Elderly Abuse Jump 20-Fold

HONG KONG (The Standard), June 15, 2006: Cases of elderly abuse by "non- relatives" - abusers who have no kinship bond to the victim - surged 20-fold from 10 cases in 2004 to 200 last year, said Director of Social Welfare Paul Tang Kwok-wai. The total cases of elderly abuse rose from 329 in 2004 to 528 last year, a 62 percent increase, he added. Most non-relatives who committed the abuses were neighbors, friends and domestic helpers. Unlike other forms of abuse involving adults, where most victims are women, statistics show that both elderly men and women are equally vulnerable to abuse. Out of the 528 cases last year, 390 involved physical abuse, 87 financial abuse and 26 psychological abuse. One elder was reportedly abandoned and another sexually abused. Tang predicted the figures will continue to rise with increased awareness of the issue of elderly abuse. Ahead of the first "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" today, Tang said the department will ensure cases are handled professionally and with multi-disciplinary collaboration. "[The government] is planning to extend the scope of the [Domestic Violence] ordinance to cover ex-spouses and ex-cohabitants. Extending the ordinance to further cover other family relationships such as parents, grown- up children and in-laws will be studied," Tang said. But he was not able to say when the study will be done. Pressure groups want the government to include elders in the amended Domestic Violence Ordinance. But Tang said there are existing laws to protect elders from abuse. He said the Mental Health Ordinance also provides protection to mentally impaired victims. Tang said another concern was that including elders in the law might lead to more children preferring to live separately from their parents. Anna Mak Chow Suk-har, assistant director (family and child welfare) for the department, said legislation can only provide basic, but not necessarily the best, protection for vulnerable groups. "If the law covers too many parties, just like overseas, it will be too extreme ... and would affect family bonds," Mak said, adding the showing of concern by friends and the community toward elders is extremely important to help tackle the problem. Alfred Chan Cheung-ming, vice chairman of the Elderly Commission and director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Aging Studies, said the commission is planning to upgrade elderly care skills in Hong Kong. By Mimi Lau Copyright 2005 The Standard Newspaper, Ltd.