by Vern Pitt
Help the Aged and Age Concern Cymru have called for new legislation to tackle elder abuse in Wales. Although they admit that this is only part of what is needed to tackle and increasing problem.
Help the Aged and Age Concern Cymru have called for new legislation to tackle elder abuse in Wales. Although they admit that this is only part of what is needed to tackle and increasing problem.
They are concerned with the levels of financial scamming which is leaving thousands of elderly people out of pocket at a time when they need it most.
While I think it's commendable that this situation should be addressed I can't help but think that maybe something more radical is needed.
One of the perennial problems of elder abuse, particularly in the area of finances, is the reluctance of people to take their scammers to court. Unsurprising when you consider they are often the victim's own children.
While technically the police already have the power to take offenders to court regardless of the wishes of the victim (fraud and assault are crimes after all) doing so without the star witness is difficult. In this respect it seems to be a crime which most closely mirrors domestic violence.
In the case of domestic violence many advances have been made outside of legislation. The focus has been on trying to get victims to give evidence in court, making them feel safe and empowering them to do so.
The introduction of special swift-operating domestic violence courts in several local authorities has been one successful way of doing this. Speed may not be as important for elder abuse but there may be other ways the operation of justice could be made more effective in these cases, such as greater use of video testimony for instance.
This seems to be an avenue that isn't explored by the Scottish legislation on the matter either. Rather this focuses on local authority interventions to protect the victim of abuse. However, it is arguable that the best way to protect victims is to prosecute perpetrators.
While I think it's commendable that this situation should be addressed I can't help but think that maybe something more radical is needed.
One of the perennial problems of elder abuse, particularly in the area of finances, is the reluctance of people to take their scammers to court. Unsurprising when you consider they are often the victim's own children.
While technically the police already have the power to take offenders to court regardless of the wishes of the victim (fraud and assault are crimes after all) doing so without the star witness is difficult. In this respect it seems to be a crime which most closely mirrors domestic violence.
In the case of domestic violence many advances have been made outside of legislation. The focus has been on trying to get victims to give evidence in court, making them feel safe and empowering them to do so.
The introduction of special swift-operating domestic violence courts in several local authorities has been one successful way of doing this. Speed may not be as important for elder abuse but there may be other ways the operation of justice could be made more effective in these cases, such as greater use of video testimony for instance.
This seems to be an avenue that isn't explored by the Scottish legislation on the matter either. Rather this focuses on local authority interventions to protect the victim of abuse. However, it is arguable that the best way to protect victims is to prosecute perpetrators.
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