'Elder Abuse Prevention Day' Seoul City, "Full Effort on Elder Abuse Prevention and Recurrence Prevention"

On 'Elder Abuse Prevention Day,' Elder Rights and Intergenerational Empathy Photo Exhibition and Campaign Held
Last Year, 'Elder Protection Specialized Centers' Expanded from 3 to 4 Regions... Dedicated to Reporting, Investigation, Hospital Care, and Welfare Connection

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Amid the increasing trend of elder abuse due to the aging population and the growing burden of support, Seoul City announced on the 15th that it is making multifaceted efforts to prevent elder abuse and protect victims.

Seoul City expanded the number of ‘Elder Protection Specialized Agencies’ dedicated to responding to elder abuse from three regions (Southern, Northern, Western) to four regions (adding Eastern) in August last year. For high-risk households with a high possibility of re-abuse, Seoul City established a joint response system with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency last year and has been actively managing cases through joint inspections.

In particular, since elder abuse occurring at home often involves victims living with the perpetrators, there is a high risk of re-abuse, so continuous monitoring of high-risk groups is being conducted. Additionally, the ‘Victim Support Program’ for preventing re-abuse and providing psychological healing and emotional stability to victims has been expanded from one location last year to three locations this year.

Furthermore, to mark the ‘Elder Abuse Prevention Day,’ Seoul City is conducting various prevention campaigns together with the four Elder Protection Specialized Agencies. Photo exhibitions conveying the meaning of elder human rights and intergenerational communication are being held at three agencies, and a photo certification campaign is also underway. The campaign can be participated in through the websites or Instagram accounts of the regional Elder Protection Specialized Agencies.

Meanwhile, according to the ‘2021 Seoul Elder Abuse Status’ compiled by the Seoul Welfare Foundation based on the operational performance of the four Elder Protection Specialized Agencies, out of a total of 2,313 elder abuse reports received last year, 736 cases (31.8%) were confirmed as abuse cases. This represents an approximately 8.7% increase compared to 677 cases in 2020.

Lee Eun-young, Director of the Elder Welfare Division of Seoul City, said, “Seoul City will do its best to create a ‘Healthy Seoul without Elder Abuse’ through various projects to improve awareness of the elderly.”

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