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| ▲ Song Doo-hwan, chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission stands at a podium in this undated file photo. (Yonhap) |
rights watchdog-elder abuse
Rights watchdog urges efforts to tackle elder abuse on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- The chief of the state human rights watchdog on Thursday urged increased government efforts to curb the abuse of elderly people on the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
"As a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the government has a duty to pay special attention to protecting and enhancing elderly people's economic, social and cultural rights," Song Doo-hwan, chief of the National Human Rights Commission, said in a statement marking the United Nations-designated awareness day.
South Korea has seen a steady growth in cases of elder abuse since the country started compiling related data in 2005.
The number of recognized elder abuse cases more than tripled to 6,774 in 2021 compared to 2,038 cases posted in 2005, the rights commission chief said, citing data by the health ministry.
In 2021, 10.9 percent of those who had suffered elder abuse experienced repeated maltreatment, an increase from the 7.8 percent registered in 2017, Song pointed out.
"I hope our super-aging society will not miss the slight signals sent by elderly people suffering under abuse and urge everyone to pay keen attention so as to be able to make a society where elderly people can have dignity and be happy," he said.
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