We were delighted to be a part of the launch of an exciting new initiative in South Africa to help combat elder abuse and enable elders to enjoy a sense of safety and dignity.
On 23 November, The Association for the Aged (Tafta) launched a Toll-free National Elder Abuse Helpline. As well as enabling older persons, family members and members of the community to report abuse, it will also provide them with crisis counselling and practical assistance.
Femada Shamam, CEO of Tafta and CommonAge Board Director points out, “According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 6 persons who are 60 years and older, have experienced some form of abuse.”
South Africa’s total population is 60.14 million people, of whom 5.51 million or 9.2% are over 60 years of age.
“Based on the statistics, we felt compelled to reinstate a toll-free helpline for older persons that would be accessible nation-wide,” she explains. “There is a gap in this type of support to elders.”
By calling the toll-free number 0800 10 111 0, any older person in the country will be able to receive free, confidential counselling and be referred to the relevant services closest to them. The service is available daily from 7.00am to 17.00pm and will be managed by trained counsellors experienced in cases of abuse.
Carmel Murugen, the Helpline Project Lead said, “People who have experienced abuse are often reluctant to report it, because they are afraid to report a family member they love or depend on. Or they aren’t aware of their rights, or find the reporting process cumbersome and lack the resources to access services. It is important that older persons understand that they are not alone and that help is just a phone call away.”
At the launch, our Chair, Andrew Larpent said, “We particularly care about the rights of older and vulnerable people to live well, in communities where their dignity and wellbeing is enhanced and protected.
“As you have recognised, this is an important and serious issue, and the challenge of elder abuse has got to be confronted. We all have much work to do on this because it is an unfortunate fact of life that here in the 21st century and in far too many situations older people do not enjoy the confidence that they will be supported and enabled to live out their senior lives in peace, security and tranquility, and free from the fear of abuse.”
He said it was encouraging to see TAFTA take action to confront the issue of elder abuse and congratulated everyone on this really important project.
“We wish it every possible success,” he concluded.
The Facebook Watch recording of the launch can be viewed here.
To help promote the helpline, National TV channel SABC covered the launch event, and interviewed several older people in the video below.
A 2020 study by the University of Cape Town found that only 4%of the elder abuse cases are reported to authorities in South Africa.
The South African Older Persons Act 13 of 2006 refers to elder abuse as ‘a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action which causes harm or distress to an older person occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust’. Abusers are usually the caregivers or a trusted individual such as a family member, friend or acquaintance. Elder abuse occurs in various forms including physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse.
High unemployment rates, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, breakdown in family structure and the high crime rate in South Africa are all contributing factors to elder abuse.
We hope that through South Africa, we can create a model for national elder abuse helplines that can be replicated in many other countries. In doing so, we can contribute to making positive changes to people’s lives, and help combat elder abuse.
Join us in making changes to older people’s lives across the Commonwealth.
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