The pandemic left older victims of abuse trapped with abusers, COVID Inquiry hears

“Older victims of abuse were locked in and left behind” – that’s the stark warning from Richard Robinson, Chief Executive of Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity dedicated to ending the abuse of older people, as he spoke to the Domestic Abuse Support and Safeguarding roundtable at the COVID Inquiry.

COVID-19 and the abuse of older people

Attending the Inquiry’s final investigation into the societal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Robinson highlighted the often-overlooked impact of the pandemic and government restrictions on older victims of domestic abuse—many of whom were trapped with their abusers, cut off from support, left out of crisis planning, and their needs ignored in pandemic guidance and restrictions. Calling for dramatic change, he urged policymakers to ensure older people are no longer an afterthought at times of national emergency.

The roundtable session, part of the Inquiry’s final investigation (Module 10), brought together leading voices from across the domestic abuse and safeguarding sectors to examine the societal consequences of the pandemic, with a specific focus on vulnerable populations.

Speaking ahead of his attendance, Robinson said:

We must be clear: the pandemic intensified existing inequalities, isolating older people and placing many in harm’s way. At Hourglass, we saw a sharp rise in abuse cases as victims were locked in with perpetrators and cut off from help.

Older people in general were left behind – not just in policy, but in protection – and older victim-survivors of domestic abuse were almost entirely ignored. That must never happen again.

Hourglass data, which Robinson presented to the Inquiry, includes:

• A 33% rise in calls to its helpline in 2020/21, with a further 22% increase the following year.
• A surge in psychological and sexual abuse cases, and a doubling of reports involving abuse by neighbours.
• Widespread concern about neglect and loneliness, with nearly half of the public believing older people became more vulnerable to abuse during lockdown.
• Evidence that 43% of adult family homicide victims during the pandemic were aged 65 or over.

Locked in and left behind

Robinson is calling for urgent and lasting change, including a Violence Against Older People Strategy to sit alongside the existing VAWG framework; a comprehensive Safer Ageing Strategy to tackle abuse, ageism, and structural neglect; and ring-fenced, multi-year funding to expand the UK’s critically under-resourced support services for older victims.

He added:

The COVID-19 Inquiry as a whole is a vital opportunity to shine a light on what went wrong and why. But it’s also the moment to commit to doing better. Today’s roundtable should highlight that older people must no longer be an afterthought in crisis planning. Their safety, rights and dignity must be central to how we prepare for the future.

The roundtable is chaired by Kate Eisenstein, Director of Policy, Research and Legal at the Inquiry, and includes representatives from national and specialist organisations across the domestic abuse, justice, and safeguarding sectors.

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity 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.

Featured image via the Canary