1,787 reports and 17,730 consultations recorded last year; seminar held Friday ahead of Elder Abuse Prevention Day on Monday

South Gyeongnam Province holds a "dignity care" declaration ceremony for elder abuse prevention in June last year. [South Gyeongnam Province]
South Gyeongnam Province holds a "dignity care" declaration ceremony for elder abuse prevention in June last year. [South Gyeongnam Province]

South Gyeongnam Province is moving to strengthen protections for elderly residents and prevent abuse as the number of elder abuse reports continues to climb each year.

Ahead of the 10th Elder Abuse Prevention Day on Monday, the province held a commemorative seminar Friday at the Woori Nuri Youth Culture Center in Changwon. Elder Abuse Prevention Day is a statutory observance designated annually on June 15 under Article 6-4 of the Senior Welfare Act.

Hosted by South Gyeongnam Province and jointly organized by the Gyeongnam Elder Protection Agency and the Gyeongnam Western Regional Elder Protection Agency, the event drew more than 200 participants, including workers from social welfare organizations, elderly welfare facilities and long-term care institutions, as well as officials from related agencies.

The number of elder abuse reports filed in South Gyeongnam rose from 1,634 in 2024 to 1,787 last year, while related consultations increased from 15,941 to 17,730 over the same period, underscoring the growing importance of protecting the rights of older residents.

Provincial officials attributed the rise not to a sudden surge in abuse itself, but to sustained public awareness campaigns and mandatory reporter education that have brought previously unreported cases to light.

Elder abuse cases in the province take the forms of physical and emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation, neglect and self-neglect. Spouses were the most common perpetrators, followed by sons, daughters and daughters-in-law.

The seminar, attended by Lee Min-hong, a social welfare professor at Busan's Dong-eui University, among others, was organized to raise public awareness of elder abuse prevention, explore ways to guarantee the human rights of elderly residents in care facilities — including the right to self-determination — and identify policy measures that can be applied in the field.

Participants focused their discussions on the current state of human rights protections in elderly residential facilities and ways to ensure residents' right to self-determination, sharing a range of views on strengthening the elder abuse prevention system. They also assessed the institutional and practical limitations encountered in care settings and explored policy improvements and action items that could be put into practice on the ground.

Particularly prominent was the question of guaranteeing self-determination for elderly people living in care facilities. Experts said older residents must have sufficient freedom of choice across all aspects of daily life — including meals, outings and leisure activities — and that their dignity and rights must take priority in how facilities are run.

In addition, participants raised the concern that staff shortages, excessive workloads and rigid facility management environments could undermine residents' rights, calling for stronger worker education and parallel institutional reforms.

South Gyeongnam Province operates a round-the-clock response system through the Gyeongnam Elder Protection Agency in Masan and the Gyeongnam Western Regional Elder Protection Agency in Jinju, handling abuse reports, conducting on-site investigations and protecting victims. The province also runs dedicated shelters that provide temporary housing, emotional support and medical care for elderly abuse survivors.

"Protecting the human rights of older people is not optional — it is a fundamental value that society must uphold," said Noh Chi-hong, head of the province's elderly policy division. "Through this seminar, we will work to further spread awareness of the importance of human rights protections for elderly residents in care facilities, including their right to self-determination, and at the same time develop policy improvements that can be applied in the field."


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