In limbo: Financial abuse cases include those where seniors’ children withdraw their money without their consent. — The Straits Times/ANN
Elderly parents forced by their children to sell their assets – to their children’s benefit but to the seniors’ detriment – is an emerging issue raised by social workers and other stakeholders.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is working with its partners and relevant stakeholders to further study the problem of financial abuse.
An MSF spokesman said that financial abuse of the elderly is a complex issue that is subject to different interpretations.
“Monies and gifts are frequently exchanged between family members, which may make the distinction between unwise financial decisions and financial abuse less clear,” the spokesman said.
Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling highlighted the problem of financial abuse when the Women’s Charter (Family Violence and Other Matters) (Amendment) Bill was passed on July 4.
She said the MSF had considered whether to include financial abuse in the definition of family violence, but that this requires further study as it is a complex issue.
In her parliamentary speech, Sun said MSF is prepared to consider the possibility of enacting a stand-alone Domestic Violence Act in the future, to boost protection for those in intimate non-familial relationships, such as couples who are unmarried.
Sun said that some members of the public had raised this issue during a public consultation on ways to better tackle family violence. Thus, MSF intends to engage relevant stakeholders and will share more details when they are ready.
She said centres that specialise in tackling family violence, called protection specialist centres, now offer support to survivors of violence in familial and non-familial relationships.
An MSF spokesman said that at the end of 2021, the protection specialist centres expanded their services to take on non-familial sexual violence cases.
Common forms of abuse faced by non-family members in intimate relationships include physical, emotional and psychological abuse.
The Women’s Charter amendments include a host of new provisions to empower the authorities to better protect victims, and to strengthen the rehabilitation of abusers.
Kristine Lam, principal social worker at Care Corner Singapore, said she has seen financial abuse cases where seniors say their children asked them to sell their home, give them the sales proceeds, and move in with them.
She said: “Some of the children made life really hard for their parents until they could not take it, or they used physical violence to get them to move out. So the seniors sought help when they were abandoned.”
The other financial abuse cases Lam has seen include seniors whose children withdraw their money without their consent. The children hold on to their frail parents’ ATM cards, purportedly to help them manage their finances. — The Straits Times/ANN
