EVENTS printable version

Breaking the Taboo - violence against elder women

“Breaking the Taboo” addresses staff members of health and social services at different levels and aims to offer tools to help raise their awareness of abuse against older women within the family, help recognize these situations
and support them to deal with such abuse. The importance and current relevance of this topic is beyond question. While abuse against older people in general has been a subject of research and attention in many countries such as Israel, USA, UK and Germany, it is slowly coming more to the focus of public attention in other European countries as well.
The “Breaking the Taboo” project focuses particularly on women for several reasons. Due to their higher life expectancy, women are more likely to be in the need of help and care. Also they present the majority of carers. Another aspect is that women have a much higher prevalence of being a victim of domestic violence in earlier stages of life and also in old age.

Specific objectives of the project and the conference are to:
· raise awareness concerning violence against older women in families;
· empower health and social service professionals to recognize abusive situations and mto help combat them;
· develop awareness raising activities and materials;
· develop tools and strategies to improve early recognition of violence against older women in the family and to support professionals to react accordingly.

The “Breaking the Taboo” project is being carried out within the DAPHNE II-programme of the European Commission and involves main partners from Austria, Finland, Italy and Poland as well as collaborating partners from Belgium, France and Portugal.

The final conference will take place on 18 Mar 2009, 18.3.2009 in the City Hall of Vienna.

Also a handbook on tackling wiolence against elder women has been published.The brochure should help to deal with the often very complex and difficult situations of elder women affected by violence. The aim of the brochure is to support older women who are in need as well as health and care professionals who have to cope with being witnesses. When the taboo is broken – within teams, within organisations and within the public – it will be much easier to succeed in improving the situation of the hidden victims and of the often overburdened “perpetrators” – which often means the family carers themselves – too.
The publication addresses staff members and line managers of health and social service organisations, it presents guidelines on how to deal with the issue of violence against older women within the family. The brochure can get downloaded here: