Violence Toward Elderly Adults. Cases Registered During the Years 2015–2017 in a National Program in Peru

Abstract

This article is a review of statistics that tries to describe the types of violence reported by people aged 60 and over and gender, between 2015 and 2017, as well as the type of link they have with the aggressors, registered in a National Program that attends and prevents family violence in general. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective research according to the cases reported in 245 Women Emergency Centers located in the national territory, during the years 2002–2017, which were systematized in the Statistical Bulletins carried out by the National Program against Family and Sexual Violence—PNCVFS (acronyms in Spanish), with special emphasis on the years 2015–2017, in Peru. Results: Information was collected on 12,011 cases reported by people aged 60 and over, victims of family violence (physical, psychological and sexual). During 2015, 80% of older women reported against 20% of older men. In 2016, 79% were older women and 21% were older men, and in 2017, 76% of women compared to 24% of men. Regarding the type of violence registered in 2015, 1756 cases were due to psychological violence (65%), 874 cases were due to physical violence (32%) and 66 cases due to sexual violence (2%). In 2016, 68% corresponded to psychological violence, 31% to physical violence and 2% to sexual violence. In 2017, 67% corresponded to psychological violence, 31% to physical violence and 1% to sexual violence. In this year, we add another variable that is violence by abandonment, to which 1% corresponded. Regarding the aggressor: In 2015, psychological violence corresponds to the other category (60%), in second place were sons and daughters (40%) and in sexual violence in a greater percentage non-relatives 76 and 24% by family members. In 2016, the main aggressors in cases of physical and psychological violence correspond to the other category (57%), in second place were sons and daughters (43%) and in cases of sexual violence were perpetrated in a higher percentage for non-relatives (73%) and 27% for family members. In 2017, the main aggressors in cases of physical and psychological violence correspond to the other category (57%), in second place were sons and daughters (43%) and in cases of sexual violence were perpetrated in a higher percentage by non-relatives (73%), that is, by neighbors, friends or strangers and 27% by family members. And in the cases of abandonment, 74% was perpetrated by sons and daughters and 26% by others. Conclusions: The majority of older women are victims of violence. The aggressor mostly comes from outside the family environment and secondly sons and daughters. Psychological violence was the most frequent.