Years of the research: 2012
Country: Serbia
Language: Serbian
Keywords:
Abstract:
The research had two key segments. The first segment was collecting, systemisation and analysis of data related to reported cases of domestic abuse in 2010 in the police departments in the cities Niš and Novi Sad. The data related to elder domestic abuse was extracted, systematised and analysed and then compared using a set of specific indicators. The specific police departments were chosen because their domestic abuse files were already subject to research in the past so it was possible to do comparisons. The other segment of the research was the analysis of a single randomly chosen typical case started in 2010 by a Centre for Social Welfare processing a case of domestic abuse targeting an older person.
Researchers:
Type of research: regional
Target group: Persons above the age of 65
Sample:
Reports on domestic violence from police department and social welfare centres from Nis and Novi Sad in 2010.
Aims/Objectives/Background:
The objective of this exploratory research is to obtain preliminary insight in the frequency of elder abuse in the family context, its fundamental characteristics and forms and to explore whether it is phenomenologically different from domestic abuse targeting other family members. An additional objective was to do a case study of a chosen elder domestic abuse case and identify key problems in the way institutions of the system act in providing psychosocial support and legal protection to the victims of abuse as well as to explore the degree of multisectoral cooperation and coordination of institutions in these cases.
Findings/outcome/conclusion/research questions:
Among the cases of domestic abuse processed by the police, approximately 10 percent were targeting older family members. This information confirms that elder domestic abuse is underreported and more difficult to identify than abuse targeting younger family members and does not indicate lower incidence of elder domestic abuse. In 25 percent of the cases the domestic abuse targeting older family members also targeted other members of the same household – most frequently their children or spouses. To create and implement a model of a unified (centralized) data collection, recording and processing of domestic abuse cases, including those targeting older persons, that will facilitate long term following and analysis of prevalence and characteristics of this form of abuse, monitoring and evaluation of police work, work of judicial authorities as well as social, medical and other institutions.
Online publication/reports/links:
http://redcross.org.rs/slika_1488_Nasilje_nad_starijim_osobama.pdf
Financed by: EU
Contact person: Natasa Todorovic, natasa@redcross.org.rs, Milutin Vracevic, milutin@redcross.org.rs
Copyright
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