Gyeonggi-do is promoting the elderly protection policy to eradicate elder abuse.
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| @Gyeonggi Province |
The Gyeonggi
Provincial Government has announced the promotion of various senior citizen
protection policies as the province sees the advent of an aging society with
over 14% of the population now above 65 years of age.
Korea became
an aging society in 2017 and elder abuse has emerged as a major social issue.
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| @Gyeonggi Province |
Gyeonggi
Province alone saw 2,455 cases related to elder abuse in 2019, 2,592 cases in
2020, and 2,881 cases in 2021, with elder abuse increasing every year.
To mark Elder Abuse Prevention Day on June 15, here are the senior citizen protection policies propelled by Gyeonggi Province to safeguard senior citizen human rights and prevent elder abuse.
<2022 Senior Citizen Protection Policies of
Gyeonggi Province>
Gyeonggi
Province has allocated a major portion of its current budget to establishing
elder abuse prevention infrastructure and increased support for the expedited protection
and return to daily life of elder abuse victims. The budget for combating elder
abuse was increased 2.4 times from KRW 2 billion in 2020 to KRW 4.8 billion this
year, and the province is focusing on the prevention of elder abuse.
- Operation
of two elder abuse victim shelters (Bucheon City, Uijeongbu City)
: Gyeonggi
Province has the largest concentration of elder abuse-related infrastructure in
Korea and plans to build additional elder abuse victim shelters in its southern
region during the second half of this year.
This will
not only address blind spots related to elder abuse, but is also expected to
protect victims quickly after prompt separation and assist them with their psychological
recovery and return to daily life.
- Operation
of five senior citizen protection agencies (Suwon City, Seongnam City, Bucheon
City, Uijeongbu City, Goyang City)
: Senior
citizen protection agencies in Gyeonggi Province are responsible for making and
receiving reports of elder abuse, field investigations, prevention training,
and medical/legal services. These agencies were also the first in Korea to have
professional attorneys available for victims. Through these agencies, Gyeonggi
Province is actively securing expertise and reliability related to
investigation of elder abuse while also providing legal support for victims.
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| @Gyeonggi Province |
Also, an
event celebrating Elder Abuse Prevention Day was held at Dasan Hall of the Gyeonggi
Cultural Foundation on June 14. This event was broadcast live on the YouTube
channel of a senior citizen protection agency in Gyeonggi Province, and featured
a meaningful opening event with a status report on elder abuse in Gyeonggi
Province in 2021. This was followed by a senior citizen human rights
photography exhibition award ceremony and presentations related to the protection
of rights and support plans for elder abuse victims. This was a significant
event that encouraged social protection and fundamental changes in public awareness
of senior citizens.
Above all
else, we should all be mindful that we too will someday be senior citizens, and
not forget that constant diligence and efforts are necessary to prevent elder
abuse while creating an environment for the happy retirement life of senior
citizens!
Inquiries:
Call +82-1577-1389 for consultations and to report elder abuse.
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