June 15 is WorldElder Abuse AwarenessDay, which aims to promote the rights of older people in all areas of society.

One of the main challenges in Georgia is the lack of visibility of violence against older people. The Public Defender has been talking about unchanging and systemic problems in this area for years, which are related to important issues such as identification of risk factors provoking violence and ill-treatment, inhuman and degrading treatment or other forms of violence, and production of comprehensive statistics, as well as adequate responses to the cases of abuse and effective oversight system.

Older persons are one of the most vulnerable groups among victims of domestic violence, against whom domestic violence is particularly severe. Analysis of the cases studied by the Public Defender's Office shows that domestic violence against older people is mainly of a psychological and economic nature. However, identification of violence by law enforcement and social services and planning of further steps, protection of victims of violence and socio-economic rehabilitation are significant challenges. The lack of detailed statistical information on violence and ill-treatment of older people makes it impossible to identify the circumstances provoking violence, to implement appropriate prevention mechanisms or to improve them. An in-depth analysis of the statistics would clearly show the public the characteristics of violence against older people and would assist the responsible agencies in planning more effective prevention and protection measures specifically tailored to older people. Accordingly, we once again call on the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia to start producing statistics on cases of violence against persons aged 65 and over.