"They are not witches, they just have a mental illness associated with ageing" - Nneka Egbuna Speaks on #WorldElderAbuseAwarenessDay 2020

On the 15th of June of every year is the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It is a day set aside to draw attention to issues around ageing and elder abuse, which occurs globally. Do you know that elders receive all forms of abuse such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse etc, especially in the hands of their family members and people they know? Dewdrop Foundation (where I work as the Assistant Programme Coordinator) and CGE Africa, are working in several communities in Enugu State, through a VOICE funded project, to curtail elder abuse as well as create safe spaces where the elders can speak out about issues of concern.

To mark the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (15 June), Dewdrop Foundation and its partners were guests on Coal City FM 92.9 Enugu, by 2pm and on Radio Nigeria (FCT branch), by 10.30am, to speak on the issue. This year's theme is 'LIFTING UP VOICES'.

"We need to know that when elderly persons such as women, are called witches and they are beaten, burned, stoned, and stories are made up about them (such as - they were caught before they could transform to birds and fly out to attend their midnight meetings), most times, they are suffering from mental illnesses associated with growing old, which makes them wander off while their family members look for them. Elders need to be placed in the hands of professional care givers and at Dewdrop, part of our focus is to provide training on professional care giving", I said on air. I also drew attention to the need to protect their rights and the need for effective implementation of laws protecting their well being.