Vital role for local govt in abuse fight

Councillors should also pay similar visits to these facilities that fall within their respective jurisdictions to familiarise themselves with the operators, staff and occupants and to offer assistance and support if needed.

Furthermore, it should be mandatory for such establishments to be registered and licensed with the local authority, and applications for annual renewal of licences should be accompanied by a recommendation from the councillor along with reports from the building inspector, public health officials and municipal police for the consideration of the council.

Should these reports contradict each other or run contrary to the councillor’s recommendation, then most likely something is amiss and the application should be deferred for further investigation and consideration.

Senior citizens’ home and day-care centres that are not registered and licensed should be inspected and made to comply with the necessary approved standards or face closure.

In my view, there is sufficient legislation in place to combat this violence perpetrated against our young and elderly, which has plagued our society for so many years.

What is clearly needed is to address the lack of human resources.

For one, there is a dire need for an infusion of trained social workers into the already overburdened system. This lack of social workers has been allowed to go on for years without adequate intervention.

What is urgently required is the adoption of “the prevention is better than cure approach” by placing more of these trained social workers in the field not just to detect the abuse but take the necessary measures to prevent the abuse.

However, elderly and child abuse is not only limited to senior citizens’ homes and daycare centres. It is found in the homes of the rich and poor as well.

Therefore, what is of paramount importance in the fight against this social evil is a civic- minded and alert citizen response to such abuse wherever it rears its ugly head. Citizens must report such known incidents to the relevant agencies.

It will be difficult for legislation and law enforcement to take root in the absence of an alert citizen response to the problem of elderly and child abuse, therefore an education and sensitisation drive needs to be mounted.

RISHI LAKHAN via email