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Monday, June 15, 2009

Senior Citizens: Under Attack

The numbers don’t lie, (not when it comes to body count) . And again, these are official statistics. You have to take into account that most crimes in Argentina are not reported, even the police advices you not to waste your time. This also helps keep the official crime rater lower than they actually are.
1 senior citizen gets murdered per day in Buenos Aires, most commonly just beaten to death during robberies.
10.000 senior citizens are crime victims per month.
Why? They are physically weaker, but also because they still hold on to the past. They are more likely to trust strangers, more easily tricked.
Once inside the house the violence is brutal. They get beaten up and tortured to reveal any hidden money.
Older people are usually more careful about money, so while hey don’t have a lot, they usually have a little saving for emergencies.
Another factor: Older people are usually on their own. Either they are widows or family doesn’t visit that much, they don’t receive that much visits. This means attackers can take their time to commit their crime.
Right now they are running programs in La Plata where senior citizen crime is most common , trying to educate older people and teaching them how to avoid being tricked and scammed, mostly teaching them not to trust strangers.
Later I'll see about posting some tips, as well as some of the things my grandmothers do to stay safe around here.

FerFAL

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sad days when these thugs prey on the old, the infirm and the weak. These thugs need to be "put down".

widow (viuda)
widower (viudo)

FerFAL said...

Widows, windows, thanks :)

FerFAL