In the first five months of 2023, Dial 100, of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC), received more than 47,000 reports of violence committed against elderly people, which point to around 282,000 violations of rights such as physical, psychological violence , negligence and financial or material exploitation. Each complaint can have more than one type of violation of rights. The number of human rights violations is 87% higher compared to the same period in 2022. From January to May 2022, more than 150,000 violations were recorded, based on more than 30,000 complaints. The numbers are from the National Human Rights Ombudsman. According to the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Continuous PNAD), by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in 2022 the share of the Brazilian population aged 60 or over was 14.7% of the total. In absolute numbers, there are approximately 31.2 million people. Violet June Campaign In order to face the violence suffered by elderly people and make the population aware of the importance of the issue, the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship launched this Thursday (1st), in Brasilia, the Violet June campaign. The initiative’s advertisements are available in digital format and can be downloaded for free. They can also be seen on the ministry’s social networks The campaign, which will last throughout the month of June, marks the World Day of Awareness about Violence against the Elderly – June 15th. Since 2011, the date has been officially recognized by the United Nations (UN). Therefore, the D-Day of the Violet June campaign, in Brazil, will be June 15, with the bet that every citizen can change this reality. The National Secretary for the Rights of the Elderly of the MDHC, Alexandre da Silva, comments on the June mobilization. “Various actions are carried out to raise awareness, sensitize and minimize this great evil that can affect more than 32 million elderly people [no Brasil]. The goal is to try to promote a great debate, learn about the experiences that have worked and review those that have been ineffective to avoid this great evil, which has been affecting elderly people, from micro aggression to physical, psychological and property aggression”, he explains. . The Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, considers that the protection, defense and promotion of the rights of people aged 60 or over should be state policy. “Our great challenge is to build a national policy for the elderly and, for that, we have issues that depend on a national effort making the protection of the elderly become a state policy in Brazil,” he argues. Violence The World Health Organization (WHO) defines situations of violence against older people as actions that harm their physical and emotional integrity, preventing or nullifying their social role. Since 2003, the Statute of the Elderly Person, in Article 4, says that “no elderly person shall be subject to any type of negligence, discrimination, violence, cruelty or oppression, and any violation of their rights, by action or omission, will be punished in form of law”. The most registered types of violence on the Dial 100 are: · negligence: when those responsible for the elderly fail to provide basic care, such as hygiene, health, medication, food, water, protection against cold or heat. · Abandonment: when there is absence or omission of family members or government or institutional officials, without providing assistance to the elderly person in need of protection. · physical: when force is used to mistreat and injure, causing pain, disability and even death. And in the case of sexual violence, acts such as excitement, sexual intercourse or erotic practices occur through grooming, physical violence or threats. · psychological: when they harm the self-esteem or well-being of the elderly person, with offenses, name-calling, torture, scares, embarrassment, destruction of property, restriction of the right to come and go or access to friends and family. · financial or material: improper or illegal exploitation or non-consensual use of the elderly person’s financial and patrimonial resources. There are also cases of elderly people being prevented from managing their own financial resources, even when they are in a position to do so. Damage and negligence with their material goods. Home environment The head of the National Secretariat for the Rights of the Elderly, Alexandre da Silva, points out that most violations take place in the home environment. “Unfortunately, most of these violations take place at home, either in the person’s own home or in the home of family members. With the pandemic, this scenario became even worse because people spent more time together and many of them suffered the psychological, emotional, social and economic consequences of the pandemic. This all converged to an increase in cases of violence in home environments, ”he says. Reporting channels If an elderly person is a victim of violence, he or anyone who is aware of the violations can call Dial 100. Users do not need to identify themselves. The service – coordinated by the National Ombudsman for Human Rights – is free, confidential and operates 24 hours a day, every day of the week, including weekends and holidays. The MDHC also has reporting channels on the Ombudsman website, Human Rights smartphone application, Telegram application (just type in the search “Direitoshumanosbrasil”) and WhatsApp at number (61) 99611-0100. The channel also has support in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). Complaints are anonymous and, after registration, are forwarded to the competent bodies for investigation. Citizens can seek help, guidance and report in other places, such as basic health units (UBS) and police stations. For situations of imminent risk of violence, call the Military Police number 190 in your state.
Agência Brasil
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