Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

On 15 June, the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Aleksandar Vulin stated that over the last five years the number of reports of violence against the elderly had increased by 153% and that the largest number of reports had been related to physical and psychological violence.

During the opening of the “Elder abuse – what next, how to prevent it?” conference organized on the occasion of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Vulin stated that 23,218 cases of domestic violence were reported to the centres for social work during the last year, out of which 3,050 cases were reports of violence against the elderly. Furthermore, he added that in the previous five years the number of reports of domestic violence increased by 149%, while when it came to the violence against the elderly, this number has grown by 153 %.

He pointed out that in all 3,050 cases centres for social work provided some kind of assistance to the victims sometimes material, sometimes psychological, and sometimes legal, and he added that in 38 cases criminal charges were made against the abuser, while in eight cases a measure was imposed requiring mandatory treatment for the abuser.

The Minister invited everyone exposed to violence to report it because, as he put it, no one should accept violence as something he or she deserves.

Vulin stated that the Ministry had launched a campaign and marked the year 2017 as the year of intergenerational solidarity, announcing that through the media or video spots, the campaign would aim to mobilise the public to join the fight against domestic violence, especially the one affecting the elderly.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs