Tag: abuse

Where Do We Draw The Line? New study reveals shocking lack of awareness around abuse of older people

Punching and threats not seen as abuse to a quarter of respondents

A new study highlights a significant lack of awareness among university students about the abuse experienced by older people, according to recently released findings from lead researcher Dr Jennifer Storey with support from leading abuse prevention charity Hourglass.
 
Researchers Dr Jennifer Storey, Rhianna O’Brien and Dr Silvia Fraga Dominguez have found in their work that 25% of those surveyed (predominantly university students) did not view punching, kicking, threats, or theft towards older people as acts of abuse.
 
Likewise, over 1 in 4 (29% and 28%) respondents did not see taking an older person’s precious items, or spending an older person’s money without consent, both forms of economic abuse, as abusive acts. While 25% did not view sexual advancement without consent towards an older person as abusive.
 
Hourglass is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to calling time on the abuse, harm and exploitation of older people and the charity is calling for major improvements to the public’s understanding of the abuse of older people.
 
Recently released research from Hourglass suggests that the abuse of older people costs the UK economy over £16 billion every year and if current trends continue, the figure could rise to as much as £25 billion by 2050.
 
Danny Tatlow, Research and Policy Officer from Hourglass, said: “A lack of public understanding of the abuse of older people forms a key barrier to help seeking by older victim-survivors. Inadequate support solutions for older people, and a corresponding perception amongst older people that there is no alternative to abuse, or fear they will not be believed, helps continue violence and abuse.
 
“The abuse of older people continues to remain a taboo policy area, forgotten by politicians and the public. It’s time that we gave older victim-survivors their due and that they receive the same recognition as other demographics”

SAFER AGEING– what does growing old in the UK look like__Layout 1Download


 
The study builds upon the findings from Hourglass’ 2020 ‘Growing Old in the UK’ survey, which identified low public understanding of abusive behaviour towards older adults.

Veronica Gray, Deputy CEO and Director of Policy of Hourglass, said:
“Whilst, on the face it, the fact that young people having less of an understanding around abuse of older people seems obvious, this is actually a deeply worrying issue. This shows that the very people we are seeking to educate around this growing epidemic of abuse are less aware than ever.
 
“However, younger people are not alone. Data from a 2024 follow up to our “Growing Old in the UK” survey, which we’ll release in full in 2025, indicates that awareness and understanding of abuse remains critically low among all adults, not just university students.
 
“Our report found that 23% of people surveyed across the UK did not view ‘inappropriate or unwanted sexual comments or acts’ as abusive to older people. A quarter of respondents did not find ‘taking items from an older relative’s home without asking’ as abusive either. This is extremely worrying and adds a new level of concern in dealing with the issue.”
 
Lead researcher on the project Dr Jennifer Storey, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Kent said: “We were taken aback by our findings; everywhere that I have presented them I’ve been met with shock and concern from fellow researchers and practitioners. Knowledge and practice in the area of older adult abuse lags other forms of violence.

“I hope that this study can help to call attention to this issue, the work needed, and the importance of education and safeguarding for the older adults that we care for and will one day become.”
 
“Where Do We Draw the Line? Perceptions of Abuse of Older Adults and Their Association With Ageism”
https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/80/1/gbae190/7906484

Charity calls for the abuse of older people to be a key priority

Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity focused on ending the abuse, harm, exploitation and neglect of older people, is calling for an urgent inquiry to understand the true nature and scale of the abuse of older people, following the release of a new report by the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

The report points to older people being omitted from equality frameworks and an increase in ageist attitudes, particularly from the younger generation, with the Committee calling for a review into age discrimination laws which they found were ‘rarely enforced’.

In addition, the report raised the lack of a representative figure for older people in Westminster. Committee chair Sarah Owen MP has called for the UK Government to follow a similar strategy to Wales and ‘should consider the merits of establishing a UK cross-government minister to take responsibility for championing the rights of older people.’

Hourglass, who submitted evidence to the report, welcomes many of these changes as progressive steps to ensuring better representation for older people. However, they are looking to ensure that the abuse of older people is recognised and is a central part of any strategy to tackle ageism in the UK.

Research from the charity suggests that every year, one in five people over the age of 60 experience some form of financial/economic, physical, psychological, sexual abuse or neglect. Over 2.6 million people are thought to be affected, with the majority of cases being committed by family members, within the victim-survivors own home.

Reported cases of abuse committed against older people have risen in recent years, with the number of calls to Hourglass’ helpline having risen by 182% from around 4,500 in 2017 to 12,700 in 2024.

Furthermore, polling by Hourglass and YouGov conducted in 2024 found a ‘significant lack of awareness’ of the nature and prevalence of the abuse of older people, with the poll finding that more than 26% of people did not believe forcing an older relative to change their Will was an act of abuse.

The charity is calling for an inquiry to develop a specific strategy to tackle this abuse, which they estimate costs the UK economy over £16 billion every year, with this set to rise to £25 billion a year by 2050.

Richard Robinson CEO of Hourglass said: “I welcome the publication of this report, which not only shines a light on ageism, but tasks the Government with doing more to make sure older people are represented in Westminster. However, no new strategy on ageism can work without considering the prevalence of the abuse of older people.

“We at Hourglass believe it’s now time for a full inquiry into the abuse of older people – a hidden epidemic affecting 2.6 million people in the UK every single year.

“By 2050, there will be almost 10 million more older people in the UK. If we are to create a truly Safer Ageing Society for the benefit of us all, we must act now to protect more vulnerable older people from harm”.

Scottish retail workers speak out after Usdaw survey shows the impact of retail crime in the region

Retail trade union Usdaw has today (5 March) released shocking statistics from its annual survey showing that abuse and threats against shop workers continue to grow, with violence remaining at double pre-pandemic levels.

The increase in incidents comes during an epidemic of retail crime.

Usdaw’s survey of 1,011 Scottish retail staff found that in the last twelve months (national average):

  • 70% have experienced verbal abuse (77%).
  • 45% were threatened by a customer (53%).
  • 8% were assaulted (10%).

Full report: www.usdaw.org.uk/FFFReport2024

Scottish voices from the frontline: These are some of the comments Scottish shop workers shared when responding to Usdaw’s survey:

Central Scotland: “Punched in the shoulder and verbal abuse – being called names and sworn at.” – “Shouted at for tills not working.” – “Customer tried to grab my face.” – “Colleague got stabbed with screwdriver.” – I get deliberately misgendered.”

Glasgow: “Daily verbal abuse even when asking customers to scan their bags.” – “Held up at knifepoint.” – “Couple stole jars of coffee, asked for them back and they smashed a jar of coffee on my head.” – “Punched on chin and chest.”

Highlands and Islands: “Threatened with a bottle after customer stole beer.” – “Aggression over being asked for ID, unwanted sexual attention.” – “Customer came behind cash desk and was in my face, telling me she’d be waiting on me.”

Lothian: “Racially abusive statements made to me and about me.” – “Grabbed by the scruff of my work jacket and shook me whilst yelling I had ruined their son’s Christmas because we were out of a specific chocolate.” – “Being called a bitch.”

Mid-Scotland and Fife: “Men following to the car.” – “Customers unhappy with self-service. Shouting at me or talking in a bad way.” – “Customers being volatile when you will not sell them age-restricted items due to no ID.”

North East Scotland: “Theft and threatening behaviour towards myself or my colleagues is a daily occurrence. Worst I have experienced.” – “Referred to as a bloody shelf stacker.” – “Customers shouting at you pushing trollies into you.”

South Scotland: “Kick up the bum by customer.” – “Customers grabbing my waist, pulling my hair, grabbing my shoulder/arms/legs, telling me they stalk me, telling me to meet them after work, making sexual comments toward me.”

West Scotland: “Called a f**kng moron because I was pulling a trolley on the shop floor.” – “Drunk football fans – alcohol purchase rejection – backed against wall poked in the eye – grabbed by others in the group preventing me from alerting security.”

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Scottish retail workers suffer far too many incidents of violence, abuse and threats. No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but our evidence shows that too many retail workers are.

“It is shocking that over three-quarters of our members working in retail are being abused, threatened and assaulted for simply doing their job and serving the community. They provide an essential service and deserve our respect and the protection of the law.

“Scotland has had a protection of shop workers law in place since 2021, after Labour’s Daniel Johnson MSP promoted the legislation, and it has already been used in around 10,000 incidents.

“We continue to work with retailers, the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to help ensure that legislation is fully utilised and that retail workers receive the protection and respect they deserve”.

Charity demands change as shock report unmasks hidden cost of abuse

A ground-breaking report from Hourglass, Economic Abuse by Numbers, has exposed the staggering social and economic costs of abuse against older people in the UK, revealing a hidden epidemic of financial exploitation that costs society billions of pounds each year.

Authored by Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focusing on ending the abuse of older people, the report calls for urgent action and funding to protect older victim-survivors. It underlines that their suffering has too often been ignored by policymakers and the public alike. It has been issued as part of the charity’s Safer Ageing Week 2024.

The report details that economic abuse is not just a crime — it is a devastating assault on the dignity, safety, and futures of older people.

Some of the key figures underline how the abuse of older people costs the UK over £16 billion annually, with this figure projected to rise to more than £25 billion per year by 2050 if urgent action is not taken.

Despite the overwhelming scale of the problem, specialist services for older victims receive less than £500,000 annually — less than 1% of the £85 million allocated for all-age domestic abuse services across the UK.

Describing the issue as ‘a crisis hidden in plain sight’ the study explains how older victim-survivors often lose vast sums of money, property, or savings they have spent decades accumulating.

Over the past three years alone, Hourglass has recorded over £53 million in reported financial losses from older victims contacting its 24/7 helpline. Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg — only 14% of economic abuse cases report financial loss, meaning the true figures are likely far higher.

Shockingly, awareness of economic abuse remains critically low. A recent Hourglass/YouGov survey revealed alarming misconceptions among the public:

  • 26% of respondents in England and Wales do not recognise using a Power of Attorney for personal financial gain as abuse.
  • 32% of respondents in Northern Ireland do not recognise taking items from an older relative’s home without permission as a form of abuse.
  • 29% in Wales and 27% in Scotland do not view attempts to change an older relative’s will as abuse.
  • 16% in England and Scotland do not believe scams targeting older people count as abuse.

Hourglass CEO Richard Robinson, stated: “These figures underline a glaring problem — not only is economic abuse of older people pervasive, but it is also dangerously misunderstood.

“Older victims are being side-lined in policy discussions, and this report makes clear that the UK is failing to meet even the most basic standard of protection.

“The question is not whether we can afford this commitment, but rather, can we afford the alternative? Without ring fenced, long-term funding for specialist services, we are choosing to let economic abuse continue unchecked, to the tune of billions in human and financial cost.

“It’s time to end the silence, stand up for older victim-survivors, and demand that the all four governments and assemblies make their protection a priority – on par with any other crisis of abuse.”

The report highlights the stark economic case for investment in specialist services. Hourglass estimates that £300 million annually is required in England and Wales alone to remove the barriers to assistance and build a robust, proactive support system.

With older people contributing over £160 billion annually to the UK economy, the neglect of their safety and well-being is both a moral and economic failure.

Hourglass is calling for ring fenced, long-term funding and a comprehensive strategy to address abuse against older people, ensuring their protection is elevated to the same level of urgency as any other crisis of abuse.

As the Safer Ageing Week 2024 theme demands: Take Note. It is time to stop turning a blind eye to the financial and economic abuse of older people.

This is not only complicity — it is a choice to allow lives to be shattered and billions to be siphoned from an already overburdened system.

The report can be viewed here

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity during Safer Ageing Week to donate by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

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Calls to abuse helpline for older people rise TWO THIRDS IN ONE YEAR

Fraud, theft, abuse and neglect reaches epidemic levels

Older people are being targeted more than ever before in new statistics and data revealed by Hourglass at the start of Safer Ageing Week (11/11/24).

The charity, the only one of its kind in the UK, reports that calls to its helpline are up 65% year-on-year and this has led to over 75,000 calls, contacts and impacts involving older people, their families and professionals.

This is an all-time record for the thirty-year-old charity.

As part of a new campaign, entitled Take Note, the charity is urging the general public and influencers to finally grasp the nettle about the abuse of older people and treat it in the same manner as other forms of abuse.

This comes off the back of recent staggering data that revealed over £53m has been reported as losses relating to economic abuse in the past three years – an average of £87k per case (5,127 cases). These figures, which come from Hourglass cases alone, are likely to be a significant underestimate.

Hourglass, who uniquely support older victim-survivors of abuse and neglect, employ just thirty members of staff to deal with cases, calls and research. However, the charity has seen figures jump from around 10,000 in 2020/21 to the new high of 75,000 in 2023/24.



Commenting on the figures, Richard Robinson CEO of Hourglass, said: “There is no question we are facing an epidemic of abuse of older people in the UK but it remains firmly under the radar.

“We estimate that abuse of older people costs the UK economy £16 billion per year, excluding economic abuse, and this equates to a figure of £50k per victim-survivor per year.

“Safer Ageing Week 2024 is a rare opportunity to shine a light on these issues and sound the alarm bell.

We are sleepwalking into a scenario where we are expecting more than nine million extra older people in the UK by 2050, equivalent to another city with the population of London, but with little pre-planning around safer ageing, abuse services and specialist safeguarding.

“We are already at epidemic levels – without urgent work, we are looking at a tidal wave of issues.”

Groundbreaking research uncovers increasing rate of sexual violence against older people

Hourglass has teamed up with independent researcher Amanda Warburton-Wynn to publish her new research which reveals there were 274 allegations of staff sexually assaulting older patients recorded in just three years.

The research, which is available to read in full on the Hourglass website, follows a study produced in 2021, inspired by the case of Valerie Kneale who passed away due to injuries from a sexual assault in Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

It found that 75 cases of sexual abuse committed by staff were recorded from 2016 to 2021.

This new research, released today has revealed that in just three years, that number has more than tripled.

In comparison to findings from the previous period, even less cases were reported to police, with over a third not reported or closed as ‘No Further Action’.
 
The research also found that the majority of victims of this sexual violence were not referred to  a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) or specialist services, with a total of 127 victims not referred for support following the abuse.

The perpetrators of this abuse were most frequently found to be nurses or nursing assistants, the majority of victims were female and 85% of alleged perpetrators being male.

The research recommends that better reporting practices would result in improved justice outcomes, alongside a need for specific safeguarding training for staff to spot the signs of abuse, particularly when it comes to older victims.

Hourglass is the only UK-wide charity supporting older victims-survivors of abuse and neglect, operating a 24/7 helpline, unique casework service and specialist local support. The charity warns that the findings of this report is emblematic of the rising epidemic of abuse, which affects a reported 1 in 6 older people in the UK. 

Independent researcher Amanda Warburton-Wynn said: “Whilst I knew this was happening, I didn’t expect to see such a high number of incidents.

“The most surprising thing was the number of incidents being so much higher than last time although over a shorter period. It is a shocking number of incidents against a likely near zero criminal justice response.” 

Veronica Gray, Deputy CEO and Director of Policy of Hourglass said: “The extent of abuse revealed in this research and the lack of response from NHS trusts is shocking and deeply concerning.

“The findings show numerous systemic failures to protect older individuals in hospitals in the first place and even more in the failure to act once the incidents have taken place.

“It is deeply concerning to see so many older victim-survivors not referred to specialist support. Specialist services are a lifeline for older people who have experienced abuse and it’s essential that these services are available and accessible to all those who need them.” 

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to donate by visiting visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

Usdaw asks customers to ‘keep your cool’ at Christmas

Scottish shopworkers speak out about violence, threats and abuse

Retail trade union Usdaw is asking customers to ‘keep your cool’ as the busy pre- Christmas shopping gets underway, which will culminate in what the retail industry has already dubbed ‘Super Saturday’, with 23 December being the last full shopping day before Christmas.

Shocking statistics from Usdaw’s annual survey of shopworkers shows there are still far too many incidents of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers. Interim results from over 3,000 retail staff responses show that in the last twelve months:

·         65% have experienced verbal abuse.

·         42% were threatened by a customer.

·         5% were assaulted.

·         71% of verbal abuse was caused by customer frustration.

Scottish voices from the frontline:

These are some of the comments Scottish shopworkers shared when responding to Usdaw’s survey:

Central Scotland: “Customer wasn’t happy about something and took it out on me with shouting.” – “Most abuse when asking for ID for age identification.” – “Customer wasn’t sold alcohol and became verbally aggressive, they left but I felt shaken.”

Glasgow: “Shouting at me, getting in my face, calling me names, saying I’m useless, swearing, using derogatory female terms.” – “Pregnant member of staff got assaulted with a solar light.” – “Attacked in the car park finishing shift.”

Highlands and Islands: “Have been pushed and punched.” – “Called horrible name and barged past by a customer who I asked to leave because he is barred for shoplifting.”

Lothian: “Threats to stab us, wait for us to finish etc.” – “Customers who are drunk issuing vague threats, personal insults.” – “Touched by a male customer, he got angry, called me a rat and a lesbian because I didn’t want to be touched.”

Mid-Scotland and Fife: “Verbal abuse daily, at Christmas get threats.” – “Threatened to get punched and verbal abuse.” – “Challenging shoplifters on a daily basis and dealing with anti-social behaviour.” – “Grabbed me from behind.”

North East Scotland: “Customer said they liked my hair then pulled it.” – “Intentionally swung his basket at me after being told the alcohol aisle was closed.” – “Swearing directed towards me when asking shoplifter to leave the store.”

South Scotland: “Abuse from youths on a daily basis – threats and violence from shoplifters under the influence of drink and drugs.” – “Customer spit in my face after assaulting security.” – “Hit with packs of cakes and called a fat lazy cow.”

West Scotland: “Hit in the face by a drunk man with a basket.” – “Someone tried to hit me with a bottle.” – “Shouted at about queues, items not in stock or wanting a refund on an item that has been used and no receipt.”

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is heart-breaking to hear these testimonies from Scottish shopworkers who deserve far more respect than they receive. Our latest survey results clearly show the scale of the appalling violence, threats and abuse faced by retail staff.

“It is shocking that two-thirds of our members working in retail stores are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. Seven in ten of these incidents were triggered by customers being frustrated with stock shortages, lack of staff or problems with self-service checkouts.

“All of these problems are largely outside the control of retail staff, but they are the people who bear the brunt of shoppers’ anger. Our members tell us that incidents of verbal abuse are much worse in the run up to Christmas, when shops are busy, customers are stressed and things can boil over.

“That is why we are asking customers to ‘keep your cool’ and respect shopworkers, to make the Christmas shopping experience better for everyone.”

Ban and tagging for directors who abused Bounce Back Loan scheme

Three businessmen each claimed the maximum £50k Bounce Back Loan and one dissolved his company to avoid repayment

Ivan Hristov Fratev, 57 and Bradley Malone, 57, both from London, and Ryan William Moir, 34, from East Sussex, have been banned from running businesses for a total of 26 years, after each separately claimed £50,000 for their companies in breach of the loan scheme’s rules.

Fratev was also given a 2-year suspended sentence with 4 months’ electronically tagged curfew, at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 23 June 2023, in addition to a 6-year ban, for dissolving his business after taking out the loan. The judge also included 15 days rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) as part of his suspended sentence.

Fratev was the sole director of Chingford-based BI&F Ltd, which traded as a construction, security and extermination business from premises in Alpha Road. In May 2020 he applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan, designed to help businesses keep afloat through the pandemic.

But within two weeks of the money arriving in the company bank account, Fratev applied to dissolve BI&F Ltd, without informing the bank that had loaned him the money. Failure to notify creditors of plans to strike off a company is a criminal offence.

He was caught through powers granted to the Insolvency Service in December 2021, which allow it to investigate directors of dissolved companies who are suspected of closing their business to avoid repaying Covid-19 support loans.

Peter Fulham, Chief Investigator of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Insolvency Service said: “Covid-19 financial support schemes were funded from the public purse to support genuine businesses during the pandemic. Directors who abused the scheme have exploited taxpayers.

“This two-year suspended prison sentence, along with a curfew order and a 6-year disqualification, reflects the thoroughly dishonest conduct of Ivan Fratev and should serve as a warning to others who engaged in such behaviour.

“The Insolvency Service will act to remove directors who abused Bounce Back Loans from the business arena.”

In another case in London, Bradley Malone, the sole director of ONENETPRINT Ltd, a print business trading from Palmers Road in East London, applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in June 2020, stating that his company’s previous year’s turnover was £200,000.

The Bounce Back Loan scheme allowed a business to borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of the company turnover in calendar year 2019, with a maximum loan of £50,000.

The company went into liquidation in February 2022 owing the full amount of the loan, which triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Malone told investigators that, during the application process, he had merely clicked ‘next’ on his phone, and the money arrived within the hour. But investigators discovered that Malone had in fact overstated the company’s turnover for 2019 in the application, to claim the maximum £50,000 loan.

They found that the company’s actual turnover for that year had been around £90,200, meaning ONENETPRINT Ltd had received around £27,400 more than it was entitled to, under the rules of the scheme.

In a third case, Ryan Moir, sole director of East Sussex-based Croxton Group Ltd, which traded as a builder from Green Street industrial estate in Eastbourne, applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan on behalf of his company in May 2020. He stated on the application that Croxton Group Ltd’s turnover the previous year had been £250,000.

When the company went into liquidation in May 2022, it owed around £184,500, including more than £49,400 towards the Bounce Back Loan. An investigation by the Insolvency Service showed that the company’s 2019 turnover had in fact been less than £21,000, meaning that Croxton Group Ltd had received almost 10 times more than it had been entitled to under the rules of the scheme.

The company’s liquidators are taking action to recover the money.

Malone and Moir were both banned from being company directors for 10 years, after the Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted disqualification undertakings from each director. Malone’s ban began on 17 July 2023, and Moir’s began on 19 July 2023. Fratev’s court-ordered 6-year disqualification started on 23 June 2023.

The bans prevent the former directors from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court. In addition to his ban and two-year suspended sentence, Fratev is also subject to 4 months’ electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 7am, and was ordered to pay court costs of £500.

Police Scotland’s Strategy to tackle violence against women and girls

Police Scotland’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls was presented to the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee yesterday (Monday 17 April).

The strategy is subject to final discussion by the full SPA Board next week.

Based on wide-ranging and unprecedented engagement with the general public, women and girls, survivors of violence, key partners, academics and experts, the strategy builds on the Service’s commitment to improve and future-proof its response.

Proposals within the strategy include:

  • tackling and diverting incel culture through education
  • expanding the use of sexual offences liaison officer (SOLO) led visually recorded interviews (VRI)
  • delivery of trauma-informed training to all police officers and staff

Launching the strategy, Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors, Police Scotland, said: “We are committed to creating a society where women and girls live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and harassment.

“Women, girls, and men, have shared their experiences, their thoughts and their views on how we can tackle violence, create a service that is responsive to victims and how we prevent violence against women and girls.

“We have listened and their voices and experiences thread through our strategy.

“They have informed and influenced our approach, our commitment to act and to improve how we tackle the sexual violence and domestic abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.

“We will work with our partners across criminal justice, and support services, to improve the opportunities and support for women to report.

“It is up to us to improve how we respond at that first point of contact. To be compassionate, to listen, to signpost to help, and to ensure women are kept informed from the moment they report.

“We are committed to continually improving the service we provide, to build confidence in reporting and in policing more widely. Our service must be trauma-informed, we will prioritise the needs of victims and survivors.

“As an organisation we are not immune from the sexism and misogyny that is at the root of this violence. Our strategy recognises the work that needs to be done internally.

“Our role is crucial, but policing alone cannot stop violence against women and girls. Our strategy outlines the actions we will take as a service, together with our partners.

“We will continue to engage, to work with our partners, to improve our response and to drive the change needed to end violence against women and girls.”

Access the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

SNP Leadership contenders asked to commit to Safer Ageing in Scotland


Hourglass (Safer Ageing) calls on the SNP leadership contenders to support safer ageing

Hourglass has asked the three contenders for the Scottish National Party leadership to commit to safer ageing and to support older victim-survivors of abuse.

Older people are at risk of becoming victims of physical, financial, sexual or psychological abuse. Many others suffer abuse due to simple neglect. Older people are much less likely to report abuse and when they do the experience can be traumatic.

At present, insufficient data is collected on abuse of older people in Scotland. This lack of information is one reason this issue does not get the attention or resources it desperately needs.

Hourglass have called on the three leadership contenders Kate Forbes, Ash Regan and Humza Yousaf to commit to the following actions if they become the Scottish First Minister:

1.            Collecting all relevant data on the abuse of older people.
2.            Develop a safer ageing strategy for Scotland
3.            Host a Safer Ageing forum with Hourglass at Holyrood later this year. 

Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass said: “The Scottish Government need to take action to prevent abuse of older people.

“The first step is to collect the data on reported abuse. The second is to develop a safer ageing strategy which will outline how the Scottish Government intend to tackle this problem. Thirdly, this is an issue that is seldom talked about. We need the Scottish Government to work with us to raise awareness of this issue.

“Hourglass (Safer Ageing) is the only charity in Scotland that specialises in supporting older victims of abuse. We have nearly 30 years of working in Scotland and throughout the UK and Ireland, where we have continued to see an increase in demand for our services.”

George Foulkes, Hourglass Patron said: “We have an ageing population and the next First Minister of Scotland needs to be to take this seriously.

“The Scottish Government need a safer ageing strategy to protect older people from abuse and neglect.”

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to make a donation by visiting https://wearehourglass.org/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.