Crimes vs elderly increasing

Statistics provided by the Department of Public Safety showed that 393 elderly citizens in the CNMI were victims of crimes in 2003—an increase of about 18.4 percent compared with the numbers posted in 2002, which had 332 criminal acts against the elderly.

This year, criminal acts against the elderly have already reached 113 as of May 1.

The elderly is defined as those 55 years old and above.

According to DPS commissioner Edward Camacho, majority of the crimes fall into the domestic violence category and that more crimes are occurring in the CNMI but are not reported.

“I believe that for every 10 cases reported where elders are the victims, there are a hundred more not being reported,” he said in an interview in yesterday’s Conference on Aging at the Hibiscus Hall of the Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach. “Some don’t want to talk and report the crime, and one of the reasons for that is some of the perpetrators are actual family members, and that’s sad.”

This, Camacho said, only underscores the importance of educating senior citizens about their rights and privileges.

“They should not fall prey to any type of activities that make them victims,” he said. “There’s hope in the system.”

The rise of crimes against the elderly in 2003 came after a decrease of about 11 percent in 2002 compared with that of 2001, which featured 373 elderly victims.

Statistics showed that, of the cases this year, majority of the victims (40) were of Chamorro ethnicity. There were 20 Caucasian victims, 19 Filipinos, and 10 Koreans. Others include Carolinian (8), Japanese (7), Chinese (2), Palauan (2), and one apiece for Samoan, Chuukese, Kosraen, and Yapese. One case was also classified as others.

In 2003, 139 victims were of Chamorro ethnicity, with 101 being males. Ranking second were Filipinos with 77, of which 62 were males, while Koreans ranked third with 50, 38 of which were males. Fourth on the list were Caucasians with 43 cases, of which 41 were males. Other ethnicities include Palauans (20), Carolinians (17), Japanese (16), Chinese (9), Chuukese (7), Pohnpeians (3), Hawaiians (3), and Yapese (1). Six of the cases featured unknown ethnic backgrounds, one was classified as other, and one was not classified.

Victims who were of Chamorro ethnicity also ranked the highest in 2002, with 117, of which 71 were males. The next highest were Filipinos with 53, of which 43 were males; and Caucasians with 44 victims, of which 39 were males. Other victim numbers include 37 Koreans, 26 Carolinians, 16 Japanese, 13 Chinese, 11 Palauans, seven Chuukese, four Yapese, one Hawaiian, one classified as other, and one unknown.

Victims who were of Chamorro ethnicity also ranked highest in 2001 at 126, double that of the next (Filipinos) which posted 62 victims. Others include Caucasian (43), Japanese (35), Korean (32), Carolinian (31), Palauan (12), Chuukese and Chinese (8), Hawaiian (3), African American (2), Samoan, Hispanic, Yapese, Pohnpeian, and Bangladeshi (one each). There were 12 not classified, two unknown, and one classified as other.

The year 2000 also featured 134 cases in which the victims were Chamorros, 69 were Filipinos, 35 were Japanese, and 30 were Koreans. Others included Caucasians (30), Carolinians (22), Palauans (15), Chinese (9), Chuukese (8), Kosraeans and Pohpeians (2), and one apiece for Hawaiian and Thai. There were also seven unclassified cases, one classified as other, and one unknown.

Also, 74 percent, or 84 victims, this year were males. The number of male victims in 2003 was 292, or 74.3 percent of the total number; in 2002 a total of 231, or 69.6 percent of the total, were male victims. There were 245 males victimized in 2001 and 269 in 2002.