PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 15th, 2020

CONTACT: Maryanne Kooda, Communication and Project Development Manager,  maryanne.kooda@dewdropfoundation.com, 09038062071

 

HEADLINE Dewdrop Foundation marks World Day for Elder Abuse Awareness

 

SUBHEAD  June  15th  is  the  UN  World  Day  for  Elder  Abuse  Awareness, Dewdrop Foundation is marking this event with an intergenerational Art and Essay Competition sponsored by OXFAM Voice.

 

(Enugu, June 15th 2020) — Dewdrop Foundation, in partnership with Centre for Gender Economics (CGE) Africa, is currently implementing an 18 months project;

CURTAILING ELDER ABUSE IN COMMUNITIES, funded by Oxfam/Voice, to ascertain the degree of elder abuse in ten pilot communities in Enugu State, using sensitization campaigns, enriching the lives of the elderly through access to social amenities, capacity building for their caregivers, and to creating a platform for

community members to sustain the program in each community.

In commemoration of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (15 June 2020)

Dewdrop Foundation launched a picture and essay competition on ENDING ELDER ABUSE as a way of promoting intergenerational activities between the young

(Teenagers) and our senior teenagers (Seenagers), in order to sensitize the youth about the importance of care and protection of the elderly.

The project seeks to improve the welfare of the elderly by giving them “a voice” through the establishment of the “Seenagers’ Associations” safe space in ten selected communities. The selected communities are: Umuode, Akpuoga-Nike, AmechiIdodo, Isigwe Ugbawka, Ndiagu-Owo, Ogonogoeji Ndiuno Akpugo, Ogbeke/UkurutaAgbani, Ojiagu Agbani, Ishienu Nkerefi, Akwuke and

Akwuke-Uwani.

Why you should care;

 

Elder abuse: according to the UN, “Elder abuse is a global social issue which affects the health and human rights of millions of older persons around the world. Around 4 to 6% of elderly people have experienced some form of maltreatment at home. Elder maltreatment can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences”.

 

Types of elder abuse: Elder abuse can be Physical, Psychological/emotional, Financial/material, Sexual abuse or Neglect and abandonment. In a 2019 survey conducted by CGE Africa on the rate of elder abuse in South East Nigeria, using Enugu State as a pilot, the findings were that elder abuse was mostly perpetrated by family members of close acquaintances of the elders.

 

The 101 elders that were interviewed had experienced all the types of abuse and most of those who were sexually abused were raped!

According to the report, “the prevalence rates of abuse establish that nearly 3 in 10 older persons across ten communities reported experiencing some form of abuse and/or neglect in the past twelve months. Emotional abuse was the most common type of abuse observed, followed by neglect, then financial abuse, sexual abuse and physical abuse. Of those who were physically abused, many of them had broken bones.

 

Objectives of the Competition

The objectives were to

(a) sensitize the general public especially young persons about preventing abuse on elderly persons (b) promote social activities and experiences that bring the Youth together with Elderly persons and provide opportunities for them to interact and engage with each other (c) help older adults and youth develop relationships with one another that “reduce stereotypes and build a sense of personal and societal identity while encouraging tolerance”.