NGO HelpAge India Survey finds 28% of Chandigarh's Elderly Women Experience Physical Abuse

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 14 June 2023

According to a survey conducted by HelpAge India, at least 28 per cent of elderly women in Chandigarh experience physical abuse, 35 per cent of them face verbal abuse whereas 44 per cent are treated disrespectfully.

The two Union Territories including Delhi and Chandigarh in addition to giving metropolitan cities, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad were selected to survey in the years 2022 and 2023.

The survey was made public by SSP (UT) Kanwardeep Kaur on Wednesday, which also revealed that sons (33 per cent) and other relatives (33 per cent) are the most common people to abuse women, which is a worrying trend as it "denotes that the abuse extends beyond the immediate family circle." In addition to this, the survey also revealed that at least 20 per cent of the offenders are daughters-in-law.

The survey mentioned the following statements:

• Despite being abused, 18 per cent of elderly women choose not to report the incidents out of fear of further abuse.
• 17 per cent of abused women are unaware of the available resources.
• 20 per cent believe that their concerns won't be taken seriously.
• 26 per cent of elderly women are physically abused.
• 69 per cent of them have a "fear of falling".
• 56 per cent are concerned about being hurt because of their poor vision.

According to the survey, 25 per cent of elderly women are unaware of the available methods for complaining about any abuse. Additionally, it also revealed that 98 per cent of them were unaware of any government welfare programmes and that only 3 per cent of them were aware of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act.

Marital status is also a major reason for women being abused as stated in the survey. 7 per cent of elderly women reported gender discrimination. 17 per cent have experienced social discrimination if being a widow.

33 per cent of elderly females do not feel financially secure, while 67 per cent 'do'. The survey also states that 76 per cent of elderly women in Chandigarh are dependent on their children for financial support, 69 per cent of them do not have assets, and 76 per cent do not have any savings.

Lastly, the survey also mentioned the percentage of women in terms of digital inclusion. It states that,

• 72 per cent of them have never used a digital device
• 51 per cent do not own smartphones
• 2 per cent of elderly women urged to enroll themselves in online skill development courses.

The state head of HelpAge India, Chandigarh, Bhavneshwar Sharma stated that this survey was released by World Elder Abuse Awareness Day which will be observed on 15 June.