Representative image with the word 'crime'.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: Recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicates that among all the metropolitan cities across the country, Bengaluru tops the list in registering crimes against senior citizens. There were 458 complaints registered in 2022 alone.
In this backdrop, the Federation of Senior Citizen Forum of Karnataka (Regd.) organized a symposium on “Safety and Protection of Senior Citizens” at R V Institute of Management in the city on Saturday.
Speaking at the symposium, former Karnataka Lokayukta and Supreme Court judge Justice N Santosh Hegde shed light upon the alarming increase in domestic abuse and abandonment of senior citizens in contemporary times.
“The constitution provides us with laws and legal measures to address emotional and mental abuse within the boundaries of our homes. However, it is the need of the hour for a movement to stop crimes against senior citizens,” he said.
Drawing attention to how the elderly are neglected, he said that it is not only a moral obligation of a middle-aged son or daughter to take care of their parents, but also a legal responsibility to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
Nataraj, Joint Director of Empowerment of the Differently Abled and Senior Citizens Directorate, highlighted social, financial, and health security required by elderly people alongside a cultural understanding of their plight.
Shedding light on the dignity of elderly persons, Dr. Radha Murthy, President of Nightingales Medical Trust, spoke about the significance of keeping up with the rapid growth in technology to be on par with the younger generations.