Elderly abuse victims urged to come foward
28/09/2009
Wellington police say most abuse of the elderly goes unreported due to the stigma associated with such offending.
Hemant Kumar was deported to Fiji over the weekend for defrauding a 94-year-old woman of $127,000 between 2004 and 2006.
Detective Mike Stone says the case highlights the fact that there are people looking to take advantage of the elderly, but he says many victims are reluctant to take action.
"The difficulty in crimes of this nature is that it is very difficult for the victims to come forward. There's a degree of shame and embarrassment that they've been taken advantage of."
Margaret Guthrie, the president of Age Concern Wellington agrees that elder abuse goes unreported due to embarrassment, the vulnerability of the victim, or fear.
"Sometimes they're afraid they may do themselves more harm than good. They're just not sure whether they're actually going to make the matter worse by bringing it to attention."
Police are encouraging anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of similar abuse to come forward and Ms Guthrie says it is important to do so, otherwise the abuser is simply encouraged.
SOURCE: NewsTalkZB, Auckland, New Zealand
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