As Parents' Day Approaches... Elder Abuse Increased by About 50% Over 5 Years, Most Perpetrators Are 'Relatives'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] As Parents' Day approaches, cases of elder abuse reports have been increasing every year.

On the 6th, Lee Jong-bae, a member of the People Power Party, revealed this through the 2016-2020 Elder Abuse Status Report submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

According to the report, the total number of elder abuse reports received in 2020 by 34 Elder Protection Specialized Agencies nationwide was 16,973. Among these, 6,259 cases were confirmed as abuse cases.

This is a 19.4% increase compared to 2019 (5,243 cases). Compared to four years ago in 2016 (4,280 cases), it rose by 46.2%.

The number of re-abuse cases, where abuse occurred again after the case was reported and closed by the agency, was counted as 614 in 2020. This is a 23% increase from 2019 (500 cases) and a significant rise compared to 2016 (249 cases).

Analyzing the types of abusers, 82.7% were relatives. In particular, abuse by sons accounted for 35.3%. This was followed by spouses at 27.4%, and daughters at 8.5%.

As of 2020, the types of abuse were emotional (42.7%), physical (40.0%), neglect (7.8%), and economic abuse (4.4%) in order. The place of abuse was overwhelmingly at home, accounting for 88%.

Experts point out that as elder abuse increases every year, the national-level economic and social support network for prevention and prompt response to victims must be strengthened.

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