To stop domestic abuse of elderly in India

‘Elder Abuse’ an issue one often refrains from talking about or acknowledging that it exists. But, within the four walls and confines of one’s home, a dark reality pervades. Shockingly, in 2019, half of India’s elderly (50%) surveyed reported experiencing abuse. Seventy-seven percent lived with their families. Abuse can be of various types like : physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, neglect, financial etc.

Thus, Shraddha Welfare Association came up with a vision to stop the menace of domestic abuse of the elderly. On 15^th June 2022, it was a Public Private Partnership project between Hosla (an aged care start-up organization; website: www.hosla.in ) and Bankura District Police. On 22^nd February 2023, it got registered as NGO. Shraddha Welfare Association is always with the elderly. Already we have solved 15+ cases of domestic abuse of elderly, and we hope that in future we will be able to make an immense societal impact. Shraddha Welfare Association (REGN NO.-S0034095 2022-2023), a budding NGO with an agenda to promote the quality of life of the ELDERLY and prohibit ELDERLY ABUSE dedicated to caring, welfare, counselling of the elderly people.

OUR VISION: To stop domestic abuse of elderly by sensitizing the public about this menace, corresponding law protecting senior citizen and to take care of the wholistic well-being of our respected senior citizens.

Shraddha Welfare Association works in NGO model independently and collaboratively with Hosla start-up. 

How do we work? In phase wise manner collecting elderly abuse data from secondary research and primary survey basis and then by push-pull mechanism getting such cases registered with Shraddha involving other stakeholders. We work on data by expertise. By professional counselling (maintaining confidentiality) and mediation approaches, all parties are taken into consensus to live in a healthy way. Regular follow-ups with the elders, inclusive approach to have 10% seats reserved in any Hosla event for Shraddha abused elderly free of cost, incentivising the better state of family interactions, intervention by local police for physical abuse, providing moral support for emotional & verbal abuse, visiting homes to reduce loneliness, providing required legal support are a summary of the approaches of our work.

Social Media Presence:  

Facebook Profiles: Shraddha Welfare Ngo, Hosla ExtendedFamily 

Facebook Page: Shraddha Welfare Association, Hosla Extended Family

YouTube: Hosla Extended Family

PAST EVENTS & ACTIVITIES: Couple of Initiatives taken by Shraddha are:

• Legal Awareness Workshop on 29^th June 2022 to discuss ‘HOW TO STOP DOMESTIC ABUSE OF ELDERLY’ where respected dignitaries like the then ADJ Bishnupur Mr. Ataur Rahman, Secretary of District legal services authority Bankura Ms Shubhra Bhowmick Bhattacharya, SDPO Bishnupur Mr. Qutubuddin Khan and eminent educationist Mr. Hari Prasanna Misra.
• Shraddha Welfare Association reached out to the elderly of tribal village distribute blankets to safeguard from winter to other villages to offer Christmas cake, dry food items etc.
• Innovative initiatives
  • like ‘Walk for a minute with Seniors’ to make the senior citizen aware of abuse types and what can be done in case of suffering from physical, mental, emotional, verbal, or financial or neglect kind of abuses. 
  • Online games like “Childhood Nostalgia” as Memory Game, play my Playlist, Offline games like Foosball to promote inclusiveness.
  • Quiz on Abuse Kinds, Abuse Protection Law and Article Writing Competition on Shraddha theme for elderly, Logo Design Competition for Elderly-Youth
  • Hosla Gyaan – Interview series by Youth for Elderly asking questions on the menace of abuse and practical experiences.
• Shraddha Welfare Association reached out to leprosy colony and donated the essential items for the elderly staying there.
• Arranged for free medical check-up and medicines for tribal elderly.
• Grassroot level awareness in villages through cultural performance by Hosla elderly members and aged people of that village. We include them in our extended family.
• Dementia workshop and Memory test for elderly people
• Elderly members of Hosla staged a brilliant performance through collective acting on self-written script on the theme of abuse named: Silent Tears (Please Watch on Hosla Extended Family YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ufjxsPaGtQA) 
• International Network for the Prevention of Elders Abuse (INPEA) took a note of our work and not only appreciated on social media but also allowed us to be part of their monthly members’ meet happening online. While other countries are doing well on research around ageism, from India Shraddha & Hosla could create working impact in those discussions.
• Cloth donation drive to needy people and tribal villages during the festival
• Motivational talk by Swami Vedaswarupananda, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of culture
• Celebration of International day of older persons through elderly dance, stage act, cultural program, Cyber Crime Awareness Camp, First Aid essentials for seniors, Memory Game etc.
• Birthday celebration at Destitute Old age home in Bengaluru, India.

Shraddha’s Funding: 

We currently are driven by Board Members’ donation as fund and limited by that capacity. It is operated through an independent bank account number of Shraddha NGO, details below. You can donate fund to help in Shraddha’s cause.

UCO Bank. Branch – Bishnupur, District – Bankura, W.B

Shraddha Welfare Association, Dalmadal Road, Bishnupur, Bankura, WB

A/C number-22890110076118

IFSC: UCBA0002289 , MICR code:722028202

UPI : shraddhango@ucobank

Shraddha Welfare Association is an NGO (not-for-profit) aiming to stop domestic abuse of elderly in India. To keep working seamlessly, we need donation from well-intentioned individuals and organization. We are here to do genuine work as have been doing from last one year.