More elderly exposed to violence

In 2013, approximately 2.5 percent in the Dutch population aged 15 years or older became victims of violent behaviour. The number of elderly (over-65s) victims of violent crimes is distinctly below the average across all age categories, but their number is growing, as Statistics Netherlands (CBS) announced today in de Week Zonder Geweld (Week Without Violence).

One in every hundred over-65s (i.e. more than 23 thousand elderly individuals) experienced some form of violence in 2013, including physical abuse and threatening behaviour. Violence against elderly people has become more common in recent years; in 2008/2009, one in every 200 elderly people were confronted with violence. Threatening behaviour and physical abuse against elderly people have increased, whereas in the entire Dutch population, these types of offences have not risen significantly.

Trend types of violent crimes, 2008/2009–2012/2013

Elderly men more often exposed to violence

Within the older population, men more often than women experience violent behaviour. The share of elderly male victims of violent crimes has grown noticeably in recent years; 65 to 74-year-old men were more often exposed to violent behaviour than their over-75 counterparts, but violence against both age categories increased.

Over-65 victims by gender and age, 2012/2013

Violent crimes often committed by people living in the same neighbourhood

More than 40 percent of elderly victims of violent behaviour know the perpetrators. Victim and perpetrator often live in the same neighbourhood. The perpetrators are more often people living in the same neighbourhood as the victim than relatives of the victim; two-thirds of known perpetrators came from the same neighbourhood and in one in ten cases the perpetrator was the partner, ex-partner or a relative. In the entire Dutch population, the share of perpetrators who are in any way related to the victim is twice as high. The share of over-65 victims of violent crimes who live in the same neighbourhood as the perpetrator is above average.
Last year, approximately one-fifth of elderly victims of violent crimes were attacked at home, the same ratio as in the overall Dutch population.

Share known perpetrators of violence against elderly people and Netherlands total, 2012/2013