June 15 – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

There are forms of abuse that leave no bruises, yet cut deeply: neglect, indifference, isolation. This is silent violence—hidden behind closed doors, beneath seemingly “quiet” lives, and cloaked in the guise of care.

June 15, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day—established by the United Nations—calls on us to confront these shadows that fall upon older individuals, often within their very homes, often reinforced by society’s complicit silence. This is not a day of celebration, but a day of awareness, awakening, and responsibility. A responsibility toward those who raised us, protected us, and now ask not to be rendered invisible.

Elder abuse—whether through physical violence, neglect, psychological pressure, or financial exploitation—is not a personal issue. It is a systemic failure, a societal shortcoming, and a result of political inertia. The fact that most cases of abuse go unrecorded, unreported, and often covered up does not lessen the severity of the problem. On the contrary, it exacerbates it.

The Cyprus Observatory for the Elderly documents daily testimonies that reveal an invisible crisis. Older people live in isolation, without adequate support, and with limited access to healthcare and social services. Many suffer mistreatment in places where they should feel safe: in their own homes, in broken family relationships, in understaffed care facilities.

Abuse is not only an act—it is also an omission. It is the absence of a voice for those who no longer have the strength to cry out. It is the inaction in the face of need. And each day that passes without change is a day of complicity.

June 15 is both an opportunity and a duty for everyone to reflect on what it means to grow old in a society that forgets you. A different path must be chosen: one of care, prevention, transparency, and the creation of a system that ensures no older person lives in fear, loneliness, or injustice.

The state, as a whole, must finally awaken from its deep slumber and assume its heavy responsibilities. The protection of human life and dignity, regardless of age, is a fundamental right and the minimum obligation of a lawful democracy. It must ensure—with all the means at its disposal—conditions of safety, welfare, and respect, especially for the most vulnerable social groups. Inaction and indifference are no longer mere oversights—they are acts of moral complicity.