Abuse among elderly rising, says lobby group

Abuse among the elderly is reportedly rising, with Kilifi, Kwale, Kisii, Nyamira, Tana River and Kirinyaga cited as counties with the highest incidence.

A number of cases where older persons have been targeted and killed on baseless accusations of practising witchcraft and being grey-haired have been reported by the media, but many more of these cases go unreported and remain hidden from authorities.

According to the National Legal Arc Service, only 10 per cent of cases involving elders who are abused is reported to the authorities.

Nakuru County Co-ordinator Florah Koech told The Standard that failure to report such cases was attributed to a lack of legal information among the elderly.

She said most elders who were victims of abuse failed to report it for fear of victimisation.

“Most of the elderly fail to make reports when they are abused because they don’t have the slightest idea of where to file the reports. Others fail to report because they are afraid of victimisation by their abusers,” said Ms Koech.

She said the elderly around the country were abused mainly by their close relatives and immediate family members. In most cases, family members abused the elderly knowingly or unknowingly.

Elderly people are prone to different kinds of abuse including emotional and verbal, which includes discrimination on the basis of age, insults and hurtful words, denigration, intimidation, false accusations, psychological pain and distress.

They also face financial abuse through extortion and control of pension money, theft of property and exploitation through being forced to care for grandchildren.

Sexual abuse has also been reported among the elderly including incest, rape and other types of sexual oppression.

Neglect and loss of respect for elders, withholding of affection and lack of interest in their well-being have been reported among family and friends.