Female elderly abuse in India – an activity-specific study

Elders are abused everywhere without distinction of geography or sociocultural or politico-economic regime. The implication is that when the body and mind become weak, elders slip quietly and unwillingly into the perceived security of the youth. However, the demands of life and the desire to get ahead of others does not leave much time or space for the family to accommodate their elders; this has resulted in the establishment of old-age care homes. In contrast, in India, a common task for the elderly is the collection of animal dung and its preparation into a cake for use as a biofuel. This is typically done by elderly Indian women in villages and hamlets, and is generally not considered as abuse as it is a daily chore that women are assumed to be willing and able to undertake; usually these women will have been collecting animal dung since childhood. This paper critically analyses this practice and argues why it should be considered abusive.