Elderly people are subjected to various abuses in many countries of the world and Bangladesh is no exception as most of the elders here face such adversities.
A global survey found out that, in Bangladesh, 88 per cent of the elderly people were mentally abused, 83 per cent neglected, 54 per cent economically abused and 40 per cent physically abused.
Of the physically abused elderly population in the country, 54 per cent were women and 45 per cent men.
Such revelation came in one of the 18 surveys by HelpAge International, covering 15 countries, over the last seven years. The surveys looked at how many older people reported being abused.
A review of eighteen research surveys show that between 11 and 83 per cent of older people are being subjected to a variety of abuses.
Violence against older people is a global issue, says HelpAge International on the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (l5 June), as activists in 40 countries call for a UN convention on the rights of the old to protect them and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In Mozambique, 17 per cent of the older women and 20 per cent men surveyed had experienced physical abuse while in Peru, 76 per cent of older men and 61 per cent of older women surveyed had experienced theft, deception, eviction or other actions involving money or property. In Sweden, 30.8 per cent older men and women reported being victims of any type of abuse over the previous year.
"These findings reaffirm the need for a convention on the rights of older people," says Senior Rights Policy Adviser at HelpAge International Bridget Sleap.
"A new convention would set standards prohibiting violence against older men and women that currently don't exist in international human rights law. It would draw attention to this widespread violence that is currently being ignored or denied in many places," added Sleap.
"Globally, older people face several problems like abuse, exploitation and neglect. To protect the rights of older people around the globe, we need a UN convention, which will create pressure on governments to think about our rights," said Age Demands Action campaigner from Bangladesh Osman Ghani, 67.
