Violence against the Elderly 3-2》The number of reports of economic violence against the elderly rises. Department of Protection: Unable to refuse due to "guilt"

The proportion of my country's population over 65 years old has exceeded 20%, and the number of elderly protection cases has continued to rise. In recent years, the number of notifications of "economic violence (including financial deprivation)" has increased significantly. Guo Cairong, director of the Protection Department of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that most elderly protection incidents related to economic violence are accompanied by mental or physical violence and other complex forms. They are structural issues intertwined with labor exclusion, long-term care pressure and family dependence.

According to statistics from the Protection Department, among the cases reported on the protection of the elderly from 2022 to 2025, the number of cases in which the type of violence was "economic violence (including financial deprivation)" increased from 161 to 362, and the proportion of the overall reported cases also increased from 0.80% to 1.36%. In the first half of this year, 188 notifications were also received, accounting for 1.32%.

Guo Cairong pointed out that economic violence rarely occurs alone. In cases of violence in which adult children habitually demand money from their parents, it can often be found that the adult children have a low sense of self-worth due to employment setbacks, their own physical and mental functions, and other factors, and they turn to oppress their parents through emotional control, verbal and physical violence.

Guo Cairong said that in such cases, parents are easily afraid to refuse due to factors such as guilt, and continue to be overburdened with emotional and financial care. If family relationships and interactions are not adjusted immediately, more serious violence may occur when issues such as parental disability, scarcity of resources at home, and substance abuse among children arise.

Therefore, Guo Cairong said that in current cases of elder protection related to economic violence, social workers are often used to conduct interviews and provide psychological support. After helping parents establish financial and psychological boundaries, parents are further guided to use legal resources such as property protection, guardianship (auxiliary) declaration or application for protection orders to break the intergenerational violence connection.

Guo Cairong also mentioned that if there are other risk factors in the family, social workers will introduce long-term care, home care, and mental health resources to reduce the burden on the family. However, he also called on the elderly to face the dilemma of family relationships and violence. Elders can prevent it early through financial trusts, voluntary guardianships and other financial management methods. At the same time, they can establish a family open discussion culture and actively participate in community activities to ensure smooth intergenerational communication and avoid isolation.