97% of Elder Abuse Perpetrators Are Family Members... We Must Prevent 'Hidden Crimes'

High Possibility of Delay and Concealment in Damage Reports
Police to Operate Intensive Reporting Period Until the End of This Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It has been revealed that the majority of 'elder abuse' cases occurring in South Korea are perpetrated by family members such as spouses and children. Since elder abuse by family members is highly likely to lead to "hidden crimes" (crimes that occur but are not reflected in statistics due to reasons such as not being recognized by investigative agencies), there is a growing call for proactive measures to prevent elder abuse.

According to the National Police Agency on the 17th, the number of elder abuse reports received through the 112 emergency call system steadily increased from 5,721 cases in 2017 to 7,271 in 2018, and 8,286 last year. This rise in reports corresponds with the rapid increase in the elderly population.

What stands out is that most perpetrators of elder abuse are family members. Among the 1,928 elder abuse suspects referred by the police last year, 1,864 (96.7%) were relatives of the victims. Specifically, 922 were spouses, 915 were children or grandchildren, and 27 were other relatives. In contrast, only 26 were facility workers. In 2018, 1,458 out of 1,525 suspects (95.6%) referred were also relatives.

Abuse committed by family members is difficult for elderly victims to report directly, making it prone to becoming hidden crimes. In fact, according to the "2018 Elder Abuse Status Report" published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last year, reports made by the victims themselves accounted for only 8.8% of the total. This suggests that there are many more elder abuse cases unknown to the police and related agencies.

The police are operating a "Concentrated Elder Abuse Reporting Period" until the end of this month, conducting strict investigations as well as joint campaigns to prevent abuse and promote reporting. The aim is to sound the alarm on elder abuse crimes and encourage public interest to uncover hidden offenses. A police official stated, "Since most elder abuse perpetrators are family members living together with the victims, there is a tendency for reporting to be delayed or concealed. We will raise awareness that elder abuse is a serious social crime and encourage active interest and reporting to strengthen protection for elderly abuse victims left in blind spots."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.