ABSTRACT

Social workers across the globe are at the forefront of tackling elder abuse, as they are committed to social justice, human rights, and respect for human diversity. However, research on social workers’ response to elder abuse in Sub-Saharan Africa remains scarce. This qualitative study assessed how social workers in Uganda have responded to elder abuse. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 21 social workers. The findings suggest that social work in Uganda has not asserted itself in the fight against elder abuse. The few social work interventions aimed at reducing the risk of elder abuse are mostly anti-poverty undertakings. Social workers mainly discussed the drivers of elder abuse, correlating them with their interventions, and challenges such as the absence of a specific law for older people, ignorance of older people’s rights, and the underreporting of elder abuse. This study found that advocacy is needed for specific laws that protect the rights of older people, along with public awareness campaigns and the establishment of a research center for aging and later life.

摘要

全球的社会工作者都站在解决虐待老人问题的最前沿，因为他们致力于社会正义、人权和对人类多样性的尊重。然而，关于社会工作者对撒哈拉以南非洲虐待老人的反应的研究仍然很少。这项定性研究评估了乌干达的社会工作者如何应对虐待老人。使用深入的半结构化访谈从 21 名社会工作者那里收集数据。调查结果表明，乌干达的社会工作并没有在打击虐待老人的斗争中站稳脚跟。旨在减少虐待老人风险的少数社会工作干预措施主要是反贫困事业。社会工作者主要讨论了虐待老人的驱动因素，将其与他们的干预措施联系起来，以及诸如缺乏针对老年人的具体法律等挑战，对老年人权利的无知，以及对虐待老年人的报道不足。这项研究发现，需要宣传保护老年人权利的具体法律，同时开展公众意识运动和建立老龄化和晚年研究中心。