KOCHI: While Kerala runs ahead of the other states in developing newer initiatives for women and child safety, shelters for the differently-abled and employment opportunities for the members of the transgender community, has it forgotten its elderly population? If the recently-released crime statistics by the National Crime Records Bureau are any indication, it might seems so. While 2016 saw 13 crimes registered against senior citizens in Kochi, 2018 saw the numbers increasing to 34. Twenty-seven cases were registered in 2017 and two cases were carried over to 2018, which in total amounted to 36 cases.
From the latest statistics, the majority of cases, 19, are defined under Section 328 of the Indian Penal Code. ‘Simple Hurt’ when elaborated refers to causing hurt by means of poison etc, with the intent to commit an offence. The absence of an assured help or relatives who find it laborious to take care of the elderly, a common situation in nuclear families, is also a reason.
However, that is no excuse. As per former POCSO prosecutor and lawyer, Sandhya Rani, the answer lies in education. “There is a lack of awareness when it comes to taking care of the elderly. This stems from the absence of a value-added qualified education system. The role of senior citizens should be communicated through various methods, such as videos, in society,” she said. Sandhyarani added that CCTV cameras must be installed in all residences, along with launching helplines for the elderly. With alert numbers such as ‘ElderLine’ by the National Health Mission and the ‘Snehitha Calling Bell’ by Kudumbashree, one might expect a decrease in crime rates.
Shine T Money, district programme manager, Gender, Kudumbashree, said that despite the availability of government initiatives for the elderly, there is a high chance that several are ignorant about them.
“Via the Snehitha Calling Bell, we’ve been able to get volunteers and neighbours involved to frequently check on the elderly who lived alone. However, cruelty cannot be prevented via such schemes. Projects may not be able to address social structures and mindset. Regardless, existing initiatives must be strengthened with the convergence of various departments to help senior citizens,” he said. Currently, there are 1,089 registered persons in Ernakulam under the calling bell programme.
On the contrary, K Lalji, ACP, Ernakulam, feels the increase in cases registered is a good sign.
“Chargesheets are filed and prompt action is taken against offenders. People learn from the same and refrain from committing such crimes in the future. More cases fall under the bracket of social issues, wherein children do not take care of their aged parents. That does not fall under the legal purview,” he added.
Many initiatives
‘ElderLine’ by the National Health Mission and the ‘Snehitha
Calling Bell’ by Kudumbashree are some of the initiatives launched for the elderly people in the district.