It is not uncommon for elderly people on the streets of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (CRD), to be mistreated by their families. Unable to look after themselves due to a lack of income, most elderly people live with their children, where they encounter various forms of abuse, including at times, accusations of witchcraft.

By Passy Mubalama, Goma

Dependent
More than 80% of elderly people in the DRC are believed to be living with their children. In many cases, they are mistreated by their families and live in appalling conditions. This is the experience of Kavira Kahongya, a widow in her sixties who lives in Goma.

“Since my husband passed away, I have been living with my daughter. When you live under someone else’s roof, you are treated like a child. It’s too complicated, for example, to get money for sugar in the morning or for soap to wash your clothes. Sometimes, only children are given breakfast in the morning. They ignore me, simply because I am old and do not work. It’s not easy to live with others, even your own children."

Loss of respect
Another 70-year-old man from Goma describes the impact a loss of earnings has had on his sense of self worth. “When you are old, you lose your strength and can no longer work. And when you don’t have the strength to work and you happen to be poor, you lose people’s respect. This is when life becomes very difficult to endure”.

Young people are not always easy on the elderly, as summed up by this anonymous young woman who lives with her mother. “My mother is very old. She is very sick but since I know she is going to die soon, I don’t want to waste money on her treatment. I am simply waiting for her to die,” she explains.

Witchcraft
It is sometimes the case that elderly women in DRC are accused of witchcraft and blamed for a community's woes. Kibira Kanira, a widow from Goma explains: “I live with my son and his wife told her children to avoid me because she thinks I am a witch. In my neighbourhood too, many people accuse me of witchcraft. Yet, I don’t know anything about witchcraft, let alone how it is done. When they see me, many children run away and hide because they were told that I am a witch. I don’t know what to do and I am affected and stressed by all this.”

Begging for survival
Unable to fulfil their basic needs, some elderly people have no choice but to beg in order to survive. Yet, despite all the hardships facing the elderly, there are still no concrete steps by Congolese authorities to look after them.

Third part of a series about the elderly in different parts of Africa: The first and second parts in Cameroon and Zambia were published on the 29th and 30th August respectively.