Increase in Elder Abuse Due to Prolonged COVID-19... Up 8.2% Compared to Last Year

Ministry of Health and Welfare Publishes '2021 Elder Abuse Status Report'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Last year, cases of elder abuse increased compared to the previous year due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and changes in family structures.

On the 15th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare published the "2021 Elder Abuse Status Report" containing these details.

According to the report, the number of elder abuse reports and confirmed abuse cases has been increasing annually. Last year, the number of elder abuse reports was 19,391, a 14.2% increase from the previous year. Among these, 6,774 cases were confirmed as abuse, up 8.2% from 6,259 cases the year before. Of the reported cases, 34.9% were confirmed as actual abuse. Repeat abuse cases increased by 20.4% to 739 cases last year.

By location, abuse occurring within the home accounted for 5,962 cases, making up 88.0% of the total. Residential facilities accounted for 536 cases (7.9%), and usage facilities followed with 87 cases (1.3%).

Male perpetrators numbered 5,413 (64.3%), outnumbering female perpetrators at 3,010 (35.7%).

By type of perpetrator, spouses were the most common at 2,455 (29.1%), followed by sons at 2,287 (27.2%). In previous surveys, sons had consistently been the most frequent perpetrators, but last year, for the first time, spouses were recorded as the most common perpetrators.

Regarding household types, elder abuse occurred most frequently in elderly couple households (34.4%), followed by households living with children (31.2%) and elderly living alone (17.6%). The proportion of elderly couple households has been steadily increasing from 26.3% in 2017.

The types of abuse were emotional abuse (43.6%), physical abuse (41.6%), neglect (6.5%), economic abuse (3.8%), and sexual abuse (2.4%).

The largest number of elder abuse reports came from related institutions such as police officers and social welfare facility workers, totaling 4,799 cases. This was followed by relatives (549 cases), the elderly victims themselves (361 cases), social welfare officers (326 cases), and welfare facility workers (246 cases). Reports from mandatory reporters working in long-term care institutions or social welfare centers totaled 860 cases, a decrease of 8.4% compared to the previous year.

Academic experts analyzed that the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, changes in household structures, conflicts among cohabiting family members, and caregiving burden stress acted as complex factors contributing to the increase in elder abuse.

The decrease in reports from mandatory reporters appears to be influenced by facility usage restrictions due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Experts suggest strengthening education for mandatory reporters by occupation and enhancing the reporting system.

Additionally, experts emphasized that to reduce the causes of increased repeat abuse within homes, post-management such as education and counseling for both perpetrators and victims should be strengthened.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will strengthen measures for early detection of elder abuse and protection of elderly victims reflecting these trends. These include ▲promoting and operating the elder abuse reporting hotline and the reporting application "Nabi Saegim" ▲linking the "Living Economy Keeper Dispatch" project with elderly job programs ▲mandating the installation of CCTV in nursing facilities to prevent elder abuse.

To this end, the Ministry plans to form a consultative body including public representatives, experts, providers, and subscriber representatives to prepare guidelines and subordinate laws such as enforcement decrees for CCTV installation and operation measures.

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