INVISIBLE VICTIMS: SOCIOCULTURAL BARRIERS TO REPORTING ELDER ABUSE IN URBAN LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of elder abuse among the elders living in urban Pakistan and the sociocultural barriers to reporting to formal systems. This research also looks at the role of institutional failures, economic dependency as a form of control and religious coping as a determinant of help-seeking. Semi-structured interview transcripts from 22 elders and key informants living in urban Lahore, were analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Data collection took place concurrently with analysis, and themes that arose from the data were used for planning further interviews. The themes that emerged were: Izzat Ka Mamla—the primacy of family honour as a self-censoring mechanism; Ghar Ka Mamla Hai—indifference from institutions and framing of abuse as a private domestic matter; Weaponized Dependency—economic and housing dependency as a control mechanism; and Sabr aur Dua—coping through faith and fatalism that paradoxically impedes help-seeking. This study fills a significant gap in the literature that examines elder abuse in the context of urban Pakistan, providing culturally relevant findings for social work practice and policy. It underscores the need for interventions that are culturally respectful and protective of elders.

Keywords: Elder abuse, sociocultural barriers, Weaponized Dependency, thematic analysis, izzat, primacy.