AS Barbados joins the world in acknowledging World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2017, tomorrow, the Minister responsible for this vulnerable group is reporting that many of them continue to suffer from financial abuse.
While not revealing any statistics, Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steve Blackett indicated that in Barbados the most common financial abuse occurs when person’s old age pension and National Insurance cheques are illegally cashed by individuals and funds diverted and, or, misappropriated.
The Minister referred to many articles in the print media highlighting how some elderly persons were encouraged to, or sometimes coerced to, go to banks to withdraw quantities of money for perpetrators.
He said, for a fortunate few, some unscrupulous persons have been intercepted and brought before the Law Courts.
However, he stressed that the risk factors for older persons who have fallen victim to financial abuse are many, including emotional or physical dependence on the abuser, financial dependence on other abusers, or a decline in the quality of life of the older person.
“My Ministry, through the National Assistance Board, has been compiling documents, reports and evidence which indicate that family dynamics is a significant contributing factor to elder abuse, particularly in cases of neglect and financial abuse.
“With this revelation, one can conclude that older persons who are abused or neglected do not exist in isolation. They are in our families, our neighbourhoods, our churches and our communities.
“There, raising awareness of these occurrences is important, as well as educating on the need for vigilance in reporting abuse to the relevant authorities,” he said.
Blackett made the comments on Sunday as he delivered remarks during a service held at the Whitepark Wesleyan Holiness Church, Whitepark Road, St Michael, to acknowledge the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
He reminded that the 2012 San Jose Charter on the Rights of Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean, to which Barbados is a signatory, not only emphasised the obligation of Government to eradicate the various forms of abuse, but it underscored several key actions which are necessary for elimination of elder abuse.
These key actions includes the implementation of policies and procedures to prevent and eradicate the various types of abuse and neglect and to establish mechanisms for the prevention, supervision and strengthening of illegal mechanisms in order to prevent any type of violence against older persons. (AH)