Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ10: Elder abuse cases
Following is a question by the Hon Abraham Shek and a written reply by the
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council
today (June 20):
Question:
Given Hong Kong's aging population, the number of cases of abuse of the elderly
continues to increase. According to the Central Information System on Elder
Abuse Cases, 522 cases were newly reported in the period from January to
December 2006. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of newly reported cases of abuse of the elderly in the period
from January to March 2007, broken down by the types of abuse, the victims'
gender, relationship between victims and abusers, and victims' residential
districts;
(b) of the measures taken or to be taken by the Administration to encourage and
assist the victims concerned in reporting their cases and seeking help; and
(c) whether the Administration will consider stepping up education for the
elderly in need in this regard, including enhancing publicity on the contingency
measures and assistance available to them?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The raw data of elder abuse cases for the period from January to March 2007
are still under processing at the moment. Verified statistics will be available
around August. As to the elder abuse cases in 2006 (i.e. 522 cases), the
relevant breakdowns are shown in the Annex.
(b) To encourage and assist victims to report their cases and seek help, to
enhance community awareness, to cultivate an environment to respect-the-elders
and promote neighbourhoodliness, the following measures will continue to be
implemented:
(i) since 2002, we have launched an annual Publicity Campaign on Strengthening
Families and Combating Violence, with elder abuse being one of the core themes.
Under this Campaign, we organize activities such as district programmes on
prevention of elder abuse, including seminars for professionals and local
organisations, support for vulnerable elder groups, and home visits to elders by
volunteers, etc;
(ii) we will further enhance the outreaching services for elders who do not use
mainstream elderly services;
(iii) to encourage elders to seek help early, the Social Welfare Department (SWD)
will continue to conduct training to enhance frontline staff's sensitivity and
skills in detecting and managing elder abuse. A territory-wide workshop will be
organized to involve elderly service providers to identify effective strategies
at district level to involve community stakeholders for early identification of
elder abuse cases.
Separately, it is noted that the majority of the reported elder abuse cases
involved abusers who have spousal relationships with the victims. The Domestic
Violence Ordinance (DVO) currently provides injunctive protection to victims
molested by their spouses or cohabitants. The Administration will propose
amendments to the Ordinance to extend its coverage to include persons molested
by their former spouses or cohabitants, by their sons/daughters,
grandsons/granddaughters and such other relatives as specified in the amendment
bill. In sum, the DVO once amended will extend protection to a comprehensive
range of domestic violence victims including those suffering from elder abuse.
(c) In 2007-2008, the Administration will step up efforts in empowering and
educating elders to understand their rights as well as means of seeking help.
Funding has been set aside for SWD districts to organize training and
educational programmes on this front. Besides, promotional material such as
animation CD, practical self-help tips, roadside boards, TV API and leaflets on
prevention of elder abuse, will continue to be available for distribution to the
public.
In conjunction with the Elderly Commission, we will continue to enhance
publicity and public education to promote a sense of worthiness among elders,
create a social environment of caring for the elders and inter-generation
harmony. For example, another Golden Age TV series will be produced by RTHK. The
Opportunities for the Elderly Project will also focus on the message of
"Respecting Elders by Maintaining Family Harmony and Enriching Golden Years by
Nurturing our Life" in 2007-2008.
Ends/Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:50
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