Some 28.6% of the 1,096 elderly people who took part in a poll said they faced acts of violence and abuse against them, according to the National Report “Silence is not an option. Abuse of the elderly people in Moldova”.

The report, which was compiled by the Demographic Research Center and HelpAge Moldova and presented in a new conference, says the abuse against elderly people is met rather frequently. There is physical or emotional abuse, but also economic abuse, when the persons are dispossessed of property. Violence is often is used in the family.

“Many of the elderly people are abused in the family, by persons who live together with the victim, by a member of the family or a close relative. The women are more often abused than the men and the cases of use of violence are more frequent in villages and small towns. But these cases are not declared for fear or shame,” said report co-author Olga Gagauz, who is a doctor habilitate in sociology.

In the news conference, World Bank senior economists Johannes Koettl and Maria E Davalos presented the main conclusions of the WB’s Regional Report “Golden Aging: Prospects for Healthy, Active and Prosperous Aging”. The report places Moldova among the 50 countries with the highest aging level. The low fertility rate, migration and poverty contribute to aging in Moldova the most. But the problem also resides in the fact that Moldova lags being other countries as regards adoption of policies that would make aging more active and healthy, like the labor market regulating policies and the social and health policies.

In the same news conference, deputy head of the parliamentary commission on social protection Valentina Stratan said a series of actions were taken in Moldova over the last few years to support the elderly. The compensations for drugs and medical services were increased and cold-month allowances and other types of support are provided. “However, the current social protection system cannot help the elderly to overcome poverty. There are 670,000 pensioners and 803,000 taxpayers who contribute to the state social insurance budget. The occupational polices should be reviewed and other instruments should be identified so that aging is active,” she stated.