A new initiative of Winnipeg’s Filipino community aims to raise awareness of elder abuse and prevent it from being tolerated in the name of cultural tradition.

The Innovative Cultural Approaches to the Prevention of Elder Abuse Program received more than $100,000 in federal funding on March 19. 

Program designer Gemma Dalayoan said it preventative efforts can’t begin soon enough.

"Elder abuse is like a cancer that spreads quietly and rapidly without being noticed," said Dalayoan, president of the Manitoba Association of Filipino-Canadian Teachers. Her organization and Knights of Rizal will be offering the program in partnership.

Dalayoan said the ICAPEA program is specifically targeted to Winnipeg’s Asian communities and doesn’t aim to replace Canada’s existing elder abuse awareness and prevention programs. 

Instead, ICAPEA will serve as a bridge linking Asian seniors with existing programs.

"Many of our seniors suffer in silence," Dalayoan said, noting language barriers prevent many of them from reporting elder abuse, which includes everything from neglect to physical or sexual assault.

The first step in the program will be a forum on May 22 for service providers and representatives of Winnipeg’s Asian seniors organizations, including those serving the Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian communities. A second forum for seniors only will be held on Aug. 7. Both will be held at the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba.

More than three dozen senior services representatives and government officials attended last week’s funding announcement.
Kildonan-St. Paul MP Joy Smith said she recently learned a friend had been trafficked into Canada from Russia but was too ashamed to admit it. She said seniors are victims of human trafficking, made to live as slaves, and she believes programs like ICAPEA are all a step in the right direction.

"We have to protect our most vulnerable citizens," she said.

Jim Rondeau, provincial minister of healthy living, youth, and seniors, congratulated Dalayoan and her partners for identifying the problem and taking action to fight it.

Dr. Tim Colina of the Knights of Rizal said his organization was proud to be working on the program since one of the organization’s central tenets is respect for elders.

Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, a former member of parliament and current Knights of Rizal Canada region advisor, said that even one case of elder abuse is too many.

"It’s a very sad societal phenomenon," he said.

More Information on World Elder Rights Issues