THE ELDERLY DO NOT KNOW THEIR RIGHTS
It has been stated that the elderly population was unaware about their legal rights. A survey for people over 65, conducted by lecturers of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Vocational School of Health Services, revealed that the elderly people have been subject to neglect and abuse in some part of their lives. The study, led by Melahat Kızıl, Lecturer at IUE Vocational School of Health Services and conducted by Prof. Dr. İlgi Şemin, Director of Vocational School of Health Services, Lecturer Nursun Üstünkarlı, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Şişli, Lecturer at IUE Faculty of Law, involved residents of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Gürçeşme Nursing Home, who were able to meet their basic needs on their own.
Melahat Kızıl stated that the study aimed to find out if the elderly were aware of their legal rights or not. She said, “The face-to-face survey studies revealed that 24.3% of the elderly were subject to theft against their assets, and 12.2% to fraud. While, 56.2 of them reported that they were subject to beating and slapping in younger ages, 9.5% indicated that they were subject to sexual assault. Also, 58.1% stated they were subject to psychological abuse such as yelling, blaming, and/or mocking.”
‘The elderly don’t know what to do!’
Kızıl pointed out that they tried to find an answer to the question of ‘How does the Turkish Criminal Code penalise someone who harms an elderly incapable of defending themselves physically or spiritually?’ in their study and she said that the elderly did not know about their rights. Kızıl stated the following:
“Torment against an elderly incapable of defending themselves physically or spiritually requires prison sentence between three to eight years. However, this provision is not known by the elderly. Also, insulting, threatening, frightening, sexual assaulting and such behaviours are seen as crime by the elderly. However, they still do not know what actions to take against such behaviours. Our study shows that the elderly people have been subject to neglect and abuse in some part of their lives. Whether they are depressed or not, majority of the old people do not have legal awareness. Informing the elderly and their care takers on such issues will prevent unjust treatment and increase their will to live. Also, hot lines to report neglect and abuse or public ads would help protect the elderly.”
