'Elder Abuse Prevention Day' Seoul Police-Seoul City, Establish Joint Response System for Elder Abuse

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 15th that they will establish a joint response system and conduct joint inspections targeting elderly individuals at risk of abuse in observance of the 'Elder Abuse Prevention Day.'

The inspections will be conducted jointly by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and specialized elderly protection agencies. They will visit 160 households where elderly abuse has been reported more than twice and where there is concern about abuse, to check safety and verify whether abuse is occurring. The inspections are scheduled to take place from the 15th through the end of next month.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated, "Reports of elder abuse are increasing, and with the elderly population gradually growing as we approach a super-aged society, there is concern that elder abuse will emerge as a serious social problem. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and related organizations have united their efforts to respond more actively to the issue of elder abuse."

Reports of elder abuse received by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency increased annually from 1,316 cases in 2018 to 1,429 cases in 2019, and 1,800 cases last year. This year, 790 cases were reported by April, averaging 6.59 cases per day.

As of last year, 98.3% of abuse perpetrators were relatives, and among the types of abuse prosecuted, physical abuse accounted for 85.9%, emotional abuse 8.4%, and neglect 0.4%.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and specialized elderly protection agencies have agreed to form a working-level consultative body to improve the elder abuse response system. They plan to discuss various issues including elder abuse prevention, victim protection, and joint inspections.

Additionally, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will operate a focused elder abuse reporting period for one month starting from the 5th. In cases where elder abuse is reported, they will actively protect the victims and conduct strict investigations against the perpetrators.

Jang Ha-yeon, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated, "Abuse is a serious social issue and an important task our society must resolve. With the advent of the autonomous police era, rather than focusing on institutional positions, the police, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and related agencies will cooperate on the single theme of 'elder abuse prevention' to create a security environment that Seoul citizens can tangibly feel. We will do our best to achieve this."

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