Media Release for SPD Education Programme Awards Presentation Ceremony 2010
27 Jan 2010
New award aims to groom talents among physically disabled youths
SPD to present awards and other aid amounting up to S$163,650 to help 157 students with disabilities and students with disabled parents
New award exclusive to youths with physical disabilities established to help groom talents
27 January 2010, Singapore – Professional talents with physical disabilities may be uncommon in Singapore now but the establishment of a new award may change that.
The Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) is offering the SPD Youth Aspiration Award for the first time this year and aims to inspire talented youths with physical disabilities to pursue their interests outside of the academic arena.
The only one of its kind that is exclusive to youths with physical disabilities, the award provides a grant of up to $5,000 per recipient to be used in the year to develop a talent, and covers such expenses as training sessions and equipment purchase.
The award is offered to those studying in secondary 1 to university levels who wish to further their interests/talents in visual and performing arts, sports and community service. It is also open to those looking for funds to perform community service or projects. Two awards will be given out each year to Singapore citizens or permanent residents who demonstrate a strong interest and existing involvement in their areas of interest.
The need for such an award was first mooted in 2008 when SPD recognised the need to develop role models among children and youth with disabilities. Not wanting to restrict the search to the academic area, SPD explored the creation of an award to support outstanding youths with physical disabilities to help them develop and realise their potential in areas outside of academic studies. The SPD Youth Aspiration Award took shape over the following year.
The inaugural award’s winners impressed the judges with their drive and passion. With the award, Jason Oh Boon Keng is one step closer to realising his dream of being a composer. The 19-year-old diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy opted to study in Ngee Ann Polytechnic despite scoring eight points for his GCE ‘O’ Levels which is certain to secure him a place in a junior college.
“I know my condition. I chose the polytechnic route as it is shorter and allows me more time to give back to society,” he said. “I aim to ultimately be able to publish my own solo album consisting of songs I compose. Through my songs, I hope to inspire people to dream big and go far in life despite their disabilities.”
The other winner of the award this year is 17-year-old Gopinath s/o Subash, whose ambition is to be a singer. No stranger to public performances, Gopinath plans to use the grant to enrol in a professional vocal training class.
The award will be presented at the annual SPD Education Programme Awards Presentation Ceremony by Guest-of-Honour Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education. The event, to be held at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 30 January 2010, will also see S$108,850 in bursary awards presented to 155 students with disabilities and students whose parents are disabled. The NatSteel-SPD Education Programme Bursary Award is made possible through the sponsorship of NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd with support from Credit Suisse AG.
The SPD Education Programme was started in 1985 to help level the playing field for students with disabilities while they pursued their academic studies. Having simply offered education bursary awards in the earlier years to alleviate financial constraints, it has evolved over time to meet other needs of the students with disabilities by offering a more holistic support that would help in their development. This includes counseling, tuition support, enrichment courses and even collaboration with schools to ensure all-round care for individual students with physical disabilities.
This year, on top of the bursary award, 131 of the recipients will also be receiving the SPD Service Card bearing an additional S$300 each which can be used for enrolment in programmes and services at SPD such as therapy, enrichment classes and IT training. The additional help ensures that these students/parents with disabilities will not be deprived of essential services to help them maximise their potential.
At the same event, a scholarship award will also be presented to the last remaining Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation-SPD Scholar. Twenty-two-year-old Pearl Lee is studying in NTU’s School of Business and is expected to graduate in May this year.
“NatSteel is pleased to collaborate with SPD to support the education of these youths for the third year. We hope that our contribution, be it monetary or volunteerism, will go a long way in helping them reach their maximum potential. We aim to make this presentation ceremony a memorable one for them as some 30 volunteers and their families will be there to show their support,” Mr T V Narendran, President & CEO of NatSteel Holdings.
“There are many children with disabilities who can accomplish much despite their disabilities. We help them to realise their potentials and hope that with the new SPD Youth Aspiration Award, we can help youths with disabilities focus on and develop non-academic areas which they may excel in, and eventually give of their best in society,” said Ms Chia Yong Yong, President of SPD and Chairperson of the SPD Education Programme Award Committee.
Singapore to develop new ways to get elderly citizens to work longerBy Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 08 January 2009 1551 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore will need to develop new arrangements to help the elderly work as long as they can.Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said one such feature in place is getting companies to rehire workers aged 62 years for another three years till 65. But that could mean taking up a different job at a lower pay.Housekeeping is not the most sought-after job, but someone has to do it.66-year-old Lee Lai Eng has been working as a housekeeper for over 20 years. The grandmother of four chose to continue working six days a week, eight hours each day, even after retirement.Even though she gets the same pay as her younger colleagues, the former nurse feels empowered by her added responsibilities as a housekeeping trainer. She is also glad that being employed means her medical needs are taken care of by the company.Madam Lee said: "My children have asked me to stop work, but it is hard." She said she prefers to be independent financially. "I prefer to be free.""Pay is important, but I feel that I don't need so much money since I'm so old," said Madam Lee.That is something Prime Minister Lee will be glad to hear.Speaking at Singapore's first Retirement Conference on Thursday, he said social attitudes must change."The job of hotel attendant may be a humble one, but it is an honourable employment. We should not discourage anyone from taking on such jobs. To do so would limit his options to be active, engaged and to earn an income," Mr Lee said."They need to be ready to adjust to different responsibilities, and possibly lighter work and less pay and understandably, these adjustments are harder to accept," he added.Besides attitudes, Mr Lee said wage structures - where workers get paid according to the number of years on the job - must also change with the times, so that companies will hire more older workers instead of younger and cheaper ones.The labour movement is working with companies to make older workers' wage structure more competitive so that it is easier for them to stay employed.NTUC deputy secretary-general, Heng Chee How, said: "For the older workers, you are looking at aspects of health, you're looking at aspects of skills, you're looking at aspects of job performance."And all these are specific areas that must be further enhanced because as the population ages, you'll have more and more older workers. They'll have to work longer and they'd want to work longer."The unions are also working with companies to help older workers find and keep jobs during this downturn.Union leaders say they are working with companies to encourage them to send not just the younger workers for retraining but the older ones as well, as part of the government's S$600m skills upgrading scheme.- CNA/ir
Done By: Ng Yee Teng, Oh Chu Xian, Phua Su Ann, Regina Tan Si Hui (10A04)
Showing posts with label Weaker Members. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weaker Members. Show all posts
Treatment of the handicapped (in Asia)
The handicapped have often been said to be a burden on their family, the community and the government and are often being discriminated as being the weaker members in society. With the number of handicaps estimated to be at 600 million, where 80 per cent of them are living in Asia. It begs the question whether Asia is ready to embrace the great number of handicapped people.
Unfortunately, in some countries, disparity in the treatment of the disabled still exists. Such instances can be seen in China.
During the Beijing Paralympics (scheduled for September 6-17), while Chinese television and newspapers are full of news about the Games, and about the medals won by disabled Chinese athletes, there is still difference in the treatment of the disabled in the country, especially for those who want to work. Zhao Chunluan, director of the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation, says that 83 million handicapped people in China "suffer discrimination" in various forms.
Last August 28, on the occasion of the lighting of the Olympic torch for the games for the disabled, Li Caimao, director of the government committee for the disabled, expressed his hope that the Olympic event would represent "the ideal opportunity" for China and its people to improve "awareness and understanding" toward the disabled. It is a hope that so far has gone unheeded, because many business owners deliberately "violate the law", preferring to pay fines rather than hire handicapped workers.
"Some companies", affirms Zhao Chunluan, "argue they do not want to hire those with disabilities on the grounds that there are still a lot of healthy people, or even university students, waiting for jobs". "Enterprises are required by law to hire the disabled, otherwise they have to face fines and other kinds of punishments". "But some firms", the activist denounces, "prefer to pay the fines rather than hire disabled people". She emphasizes, however, that "such people are only a minor proportion" of Chinese society, which does not have "prejudices of any kind" toward the disabled.
"People do want to understand the disabled", she continues, "but they are ignorant of their condition. Chinese society itself is not inhumane. But our society is not fully informed about disabled people's suffering". For this reason, the activist calls for "new policies to educate people about the reality of the millions of physically and mentally disabled" (about 6% of the population) living in China today.
In many cases, the cause of physical or psychological injury is in the rapid and often uncontrolled process of industrialization seen in the country in recent decades: in its effort to reach the objective of double-digit economic growth, the workplace has often overlooked the most basic safety procedures. Many of the disabled, in fact, are victims of accidents in the factories or on construction sites, and now have no work or possibility of social reintegration.
Last March, during a meeting of the politburo presided over by President Hu Jintao, the leaders of the communist party decided to increase funding for the disabled, only half of whom receive health care in the cities, and a miserable 2% in the countryside. In view of the Paralympics, the government has also launched a massive publicity campaign aimed at promoting the rights of the disabled and attention to them, but their real living conditions do not seem to have improved.
Such disparity in the treatment of the handicapped can also be seen in North Korea, where handicapped are being locked up in camps with harsh and "subhuman conditions", categorising them according to their physical disabilities, as reported by a human rights investigator.
Defectors from North Korea have testified "without exception" about the existence of collective camps where the handicapped are assigned according to their physical deformity or disability.
For example, the report, citing a South Korean human rights study, said: "Midgets are not allowed to reproduce and they are rounded up and relocated."
Viti Muntarbhorn of Thailand, a human rights law specialist, wrote the survey for the U.N. General Assembly, which may adopt a resolution based on his findings. He relied on information from outside the country after Pyongyang refused to allow him to visit.
"It is reported that those with disabilities are sent away from the capital city, and particularly those with mental disability are detained in areas or camps known as 'Ward 49' with harsh and subhuman conditions," Muntarbhorn wrote.
In view of this differentiated treatment of the handicapped in Asian society, actions are undertaken and progress has been made in the treatment of the handicapped. Governmental institutions have been making changes to their policies, or even putting in place new policies to help the handicapped people. Also, to cope with the great numbers of handicapped people, they have introduced handicapped-friendly technologies.
An example would be China. China has developed buses and subways that are user-friendly for physically handicapped people, through the usage of lifts and ramps. The China government has also given out pamphlets to educate the public about the disabled, advising the public to be more sensitive toward the handicapped. The efforts put in by the government as shown in the example above reflects that Asia is becoming more receptive toward the handicapped.
In addition, China is aiming to offer free medical treatment to 30,000 handicapped orphans within three years.
The "Tomorrow Plan", funded by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), a three-year project that started in 2004, aims to give 30,000 handicapped orphans free operations.
There are approximately 66,000 orphans and abandoned babies living in welfare homes nationwide and about half of them are disabled.
"We have decided to extend aid to more handicapped children, whose families can not afford to pay for the operations," said DouYupei, Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs, when visiting hospitals that will perform the operations.
So far, about 16,000 disabled orphans have received surgery and rehabilitation. Compared with the country's total number of 573,000 orphans, with a large number of disabled ones yet to be counted, there is a lot of work to be done.
Unfortunately, in some countries, disparity in the treatment of the disabled still exists. Such instances can be seen in China.
During the Beijing Paralympics (scheduled for September 6-17), while Chinese television and newspapers are full of news about the Games, and about the medals won by disabled Chinese athletes, there is still difference in the treatment of the disabled in the country, especially for those who want to work. Zhao Chunluan, director of the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation, says that 83 million handicapped people in China "suffer discrimination" in various forms.
Last August 28, on the occasion of the lighting of the Olympic torch for the games for the disabled, Li Caimao, director of the government committee for the disabled, expressed his hope that the Olympic event would represent "the ideal opportunity" for China and its people to improve "awareness and understanding" toward the disabled. It is a hope that so far has gone unheeded, because many business owners deliberately "violate the law", preferring to pay fines rather than hire handicapped workers.
"Some companies", affirms Zhao Chunluan, "argue they do not want to hire those with disabilities on the grounds that there are still a lot of healthy people, or even university students, waiting for jobs". "Enterprises are required by law to hire the disabled, otherwise they have to face fines and other kinds of punishments". "But some firms", the activist denounces, "prefer to pay the fines rather than hire disabled people". She emphasizes, however, that "such people are only a minor proportion" of Chinese society, which does not have "prejudices of any kind" toward the disabled.
"People do want to understand the disabled", she continues, "but they are ignorant of their condition. Chinese society itself is not inhumane. But our society is not fully informed about disabled people's suffering". For this reason, the activist calls for "new policies to educate people about the reality of the millions of physically and mentally disabled" (about 6% of the population) living in China today.
In many cases, the cause of physical or psychological injury is in the rapid and often uncontrolled process of industrialization seen in the country in recent decades: in its effort to reach the objective of double-digit economic growth, the workplace has often overlooked the most basic safety procedures. Many of the disabled, in fact, are victims of accidents in the factories or on construction sites, and now have no work or possibility of social reintegration.
Last March, during a meeting of the politburo presided over by President Hu Jintao, the leaders of the communist party decided to increase funding for the disabled, only half of whom receive health care in the cities, and a miserable 2% in the countryside. In view of the Paralympics, the government has also launched a massive publicity campaign aimed at promoting the rights of the disabled and attention to them, but their real living conditions do not seem to have improved.
Such disparity in the treatment of the handicapped can also be seen in North Korea, where handicapped are being locked up in camps with harsh and "subhuman conditions", categorising them according to their physical disabilities, as reported by a human rights investigator.
Defectors from North Korea have testified "without exception" about the existence of collective camps where the handicapped are assigned according to their physical deformity or disability.
For example, the report, citing a South Korean human rights study, said: "Midgets are not allowed to reproduce and they are rounded up and relocated."
Viti Muntarbhorn of Thailand, a human rights law specialist, wrote the survey for the U.N. General Assembly, which may adopt a resolution based on his findings. He relied on information from outside the country after Pyongyang refused to allow him to visit.
"It is reported that those with disabilities are sent away from the capital city, and particularly those with mental disability are detained in areas or camps known as 'Ward 49' with harsh and subhuman conditions," Muntarbhorn wrote.
In view of this differentiated treatment of the handicapped in Asian society, actions are undertaken and progress has been made in the treatment of the handicapped. Governmental institutions have been making changes to their policies, or even putting in place new policies to help the handicapped people. Also, to cope with the great numbers of handicapped people, they have introduced handicapped-friendly technologies.
An example would be China. China has developed buses and subways that are user-friendly for physically handicapped people, through the usage of lifts and ramps. The China government has also given out pamphlets to educate the public about the disabled, advising the public to be more sensitive toward the handicapped. The efforts put in by the government as shown in the example above reflects that Asia is becoming more receptive toward the handicapped.
In addition, China is aiming to offer free medical treatment to 30,000 handicapped orphans within three years.
The "Tomorrow Plan", funded by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), a three-year project that started in 2004, aims to give 30,000 handicapped orphans free operations.
There are approximately 66,000 orphans and abandoned babies living in welfare homes nationwide and about half of them are disabled.
"We have decided to extend aid to more handicapped children, whose families can not afford to pay for the operations," said DouYupei, Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs, when visiting hospitals that will perform the operations.
So far, about 16,000 disabled orphans have received surgery and rehabilitation. Compared with the country's total number of 573,000 orphans, with a large number of disabled ones yet to be counted, there is a lot of work to be done.
Treatment of the aged (in Asia)
In Asia, the elderly population has increased rapidly. Approximately 7.4% of the current total population in the region is elderly. In fact, there are about 77 million older persons now in India. This number is estimated rise to 177 million in another 25 years.
In view of this increasing aged population, are the elderly on equal standing as compared to the rest of the population? In some instances, the aged population does enjoy equal rights in the Asian society.
Firstly, the aged was respected in our society and treated as assets, as they were seen to be experienced veterans coupled with many years of knowledge. For example, the various prime minister in the Southeast Asia countries were aged. Indian PM, Manmohan Singh, was 71. Junichino Koizumi, PM of Japan and Hu JinTao, head of China, were practically “youth movement” figures at 61. This has showed that the aged was treated with due respect and valued as valuable members of our society who are able to handle prominent leadership roles.
Secondly, there were also various laws and rules implemented to provide the elderly with more rights. For example, in Japan, there was an Amendment to the Law concerning the stabilization of employment of the Aged (the “Amendment”), which took effect in 2006. The Amendment requires every employer that currently sets its mandatory retirement age under 65 to implement one of the following measures: Extend the mandatory retirement age to 65;Introduce a re-employment system for employees between ages 60 and 65; or Abolish mandatory retirement. This law has ensured that the aged can choose whether to work longer, and gave them more chances of being employed. The rights of the aged are thus being observed here.
Also, there has been a global action on aging. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) take an active role in mainstreaming ageing-related issues into national development strategies and policies. In the spirit of the 1999 International Year of Older Persons, UNESCAP Member States adopted the Macao Declaration and Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific, which defines major areas of concern and priorities for action on aging in the region. To facilitate MIPAA implementation, UNESCAP adopted the Regional Implementation Strategy for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002 and the Macao Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific 1999. UNESCAP’s Population and Social Integration Section organize regional meetings, seminars and training sessions for its Member States and NGOS. It also conducts regular regional surveys on aging to foster and monitor implementation of the Macao and Madrid plans of action on aging. This showed that the rights of the elderly are put into priority in the SEA, and thus they are treated fairly.
However, there were also some cases where the aged were not treated fairly. There had been cases of elderly abused in some parts of the world. For example, according to a survey by the Health, Welfare and Labor Ministry in Japan, one of every 10 aged people believed to have experienced cruel treatment during the year through October 2003 was in danger of losing his or her life. The average age of sufferers was 81.6 years, and 77 percent were women. Thirty-two percent of those believed responsible for cruel treatment were sons of the victims; 21 percent were wives of the sons; and 20 percent turned out to be the victims' spouses.
Furthermore, abuse of the elderly in the community and within institutional settings has been largely unrecognized. Their ill health has often been attributed to natural, accidental or undetermined causes when in fact they were the consequences of abusive or neglectful behaviour. In some cultures, women are more dependent- financially and emotionally on families than men - making them more vulnerable to abuse. Elderly abuse is generally ‘hidden’, since older persons find it shameful to admit that they are abused and are ashamed of the stigma. Elderly people on the whole are likely to face both neglect and violence. The difference being that whereas neglect is an act of omission, violence constitutes an act of commission or perpetration. Abuse of the elderly covers physical abuse - infliction of pain or injury, physical coercion or physical drug-induced restraint; psychological or emotional abuse - infliction of mental anguish, illegal or improper exploitation, non-consensual sexual contact (sexual abuse) and refusal or failure to fulfill a care-giving obligation (neglect).
Mistreatment of older people often occurs within institutional settings such as nursing homes, residential care institutions, hospitals and day care facilities. Evidence from India suggests that in some instances staff often perpetuate institutional abuse when they impose rules or over-protective care in the name of discipline. Some institutions that lack professionally trained management may also end up abusing the elderly. According to a report by the National Center on Elder Abuse, an early study of abuse by non-spousal caregivers revealed that 23 percent engaged in some form of physical abuse. A survey administered to a sample of 342 callers to a help line for caregivers found that 12 percent of the callers had physically abused the person in their care at least once.
Physical and psychological violence impacts the health of an elderly person. Despite the impact of violence on the elderly, physical and cognitive impairments combined with extensive family ties make it difficult for an elderly person to leave an abusive relationship or to take corrective measures. Displacing the elderly and depriving them of responsibility are potentially harmful cultural norms in many countries. Other forms of abuse are related to the mourning rites of passage for widows (especially those who are childless) in some communities. By custom these widows are either forced to marry their husband’s brother or face expulsion from their homes. Accusations of witchcraft are often leveled at elderly (and childless) women in some communities in the region. Since these practices are firmly entrenched social customs, they may not be considered abuse even by caregivers or professionals. For example, on July 29 2002, five women in India were hacked to death because they were believed to have been practicing "witchcraft." The murders took place in the tea belt area of Jalpaiguri state of India. During the previous decade, 79 women had been murdered in this area on suspicion of witchcraft.
In view of this increasing aged population, are the elderly on equal standing as compared to the rest of the population? In some instances, the aged population does enjoy equal rights in the Asian society.
Firstly, the aged was respected in our society and treated as assets, as they were seen to be experienced veterans coupled with many years of knowledge. For example, the various prime minister in the Southeast Asia countries were aged. Indian PM, Manmohan Singh, was 71. Junichino Koizumi, PM of Japan and Hu JinTao, head of China, were practically “youth movement” figures at 61. This has showed that the aged was treated with due respect and valued as valuable members of our society who are able to handle prominent leadership roles.
Secondly, there were also various laws and rules implemented to provide the elderly with more rights. For example, in Japan, there was an Amendment to the Law concerning the stabilization of employment of the Aged (the “Amendment”), which took effect in 2006. The Amendment requires every employer that currently sets its mandatory retirement age under 65 to implement one of the following measures: Extend the mandatory retirement age to 65;Introduce a re-employment system for employees between ages 60 and 65; or Abolish mandatory retirement. This law has ensured that the aged can choose whether to work longer, and gave them more chances of being employed. The rights of the aged are thus being observed here.
Also, there has been a global action on aging. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) take an active role in mainstreaming ageing-related issues into national development strategies and policies. In the spirit of the 1999 International Year of Older Persons, UNESCAP Member States adopted the Macao Declaration and Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific, which defines major areas of concern and priorities for action on aging in the region. To facilitate MIPAA implementation, UNESCAP adopted the Regional Implementation Strategy for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002 and the Macao Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific 1999. UNESCAP’s Population and Social Integration Section organize regional meetings, seminars and training sessions for its Member States and NGOS. It also conducts regular regional surveys on aging to foster and monitor implementation of the Macao and Madrid plans of action on aging. This showed that the rights of the elderly are put into priority in the SEA, and thus they are treated fairly.
However, there were also some cases where the aged were not treated fairly. There had been cases of elderly abused in some parts of the world. For example, according to a survey by the Health, Welfare and Labor Ministry in Japan, one of every 10 aged people believed to have experienced cruel treatment during the year through October 2003 was in danger of losing his or her life. The average age of sufferers was 81.6 years, and 77 percent were women. Thirty-two percent of those believed responsible for cruel treatment were sons of the victims; 21 percent were wives of the sons; and 20 percent turned out to be the victims' spouses.
Furthermore, abuse of the elderly in the community and within institutional settings has been largely unrecognized. Their ill health has often been attributed to natural, accidental or undetermined causes when in fact they were the consequences of abusive or neglectful behaviour. In some cultures, women are more dependent- financially and emotionally on families than men - making them more vulnerable to abuse. Elderly abuse is generally ‘hidden’, since older persons find it shameful to admit that they are abused and are ashamed of the stigma. Elderly people on the whole are likely to face both neglect and violence. The difference being that whereas neglect is an act of omission, violence constitutes an act of commission or perpetration. Abuse of the elderly covers physical abuse - infliction of pain or injury, physical coercion or physical drug-induced restraint; psychological or emotional abuse - infliction of mental anguish, illegal or improper exploitation, non-consensual sexual contact (sexual abuse) and refusal or failure to fulfill a care-giving obligation (neglect).
Mistreatment of older people often occurs within institutional settings such as nursing homes, residential care institutions, hospitals and day care facilities. Evidence from India suggests that in some instances staff often perpetuate institutional abuse when they impose rules or over-protective care in the name of discipline. Some institutions that lack professionally trained management may also end up abusing the elderly. According to a report by the National Center on Elder Abuse, an early study of abuse by non-spousal caregivers revealed that 23 percent engaged in some form of physical abuse. A survey administered to a sample of 342 callers to a help line for caregivers found that 12 percent of the callers had physically abused the person in their care at least once.
Physical and psychological violence impacts the health of an elderly person. Despite the impact of violence on the elderly, physical and cognitive impairments combined with extensive family ties make it difficult for an elderly person to leave an abusive relationship or to take corrective measures. Displacing the elderly and depriving them of responsibility are potentially harmful cultural norms in many countries. Other forms of abuse are related to the mourning rites of passage for widows (especially those who are childless) in some communities. By custom these widows are either forced to marry their husband’s brother or face expulsion from their homes. Accusations of witchcraft are often leveled at elderly (and childless) women in some communities in the region. Since these practices are firmly entrenched social customs, they may not be considered abuse even by caregivers or professionals. For example, on July 29 2002, five women in India were hacked to death because they were believed to have been practicing "witchcraft." The murders took place in the tea belt area of Jalpaiguri state of India. During the previous decade, 79 women had been murdered in this area on suspicion of witchcraft.
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