On Friday, 14 June 2024, at 10:00 a.m., the panel „Prevention of violence against older persons“ was held, and on the occasion of celebrating June 15, the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Nataša Todorović, Red Cross of Serbia, Tanja Prijić, Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Nadeža Satarić, Association Amity spoke at the panel, with a view to familiarising older persons with the types of violence, the risks of violence and the ways in which violence can be reported safely.

Twenty older persons participated in the event and discussed all five main types of violence and their prevalence, as well as why older persons do not report violence. Nataša Todorović spoke about the types and risks of violence, Nadežda Satarić about financial violence and Tanja Prijić about abuses related to the right to inherit property.

The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day has been celebrated worldwide since 2006, at the initiative of the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA), and in Serbia since 2007, at the initiative of the Red Cross of Serbia, in cooperation with the civil and public sector. Since 2011, this date has been officially included in the United Nations calendar. Some of the important statistics related to this date are:

• Approximately 1 in 6 people over the age of 60 have experienced some form of abuse in the community in the past year.
• Rates of elder abuse are high in facilities such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with 2 in 3 staff members admitting to abuse in the past year.
• Rates of elder abuse have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Elder abuse can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
• Elder abuse is predicted to increase as many countries experience rapidly aging populations.
• The global population of people over 60 will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to around 2 billion in 2050.

Today, Nataša Todorović from the Red Cross of Serbia will also participate in an event jointly organized in New York by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and INPEA, where she will speak about older persons in emergency situations and armed conflicts.