sexual abuse Photo:VCG

 A 72-year-old woman in a vegetative state was sexually assaulted by a 78-year-old man in a nursing home in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, media reported Sunday.

The incident occurred in the middle of the night on September 7 while the woman's daughter was sleeping in the room across from her mother.

"I heard the sound of the bed shaking, then I saw the man sexually assaulting my mother with his pants halfway off," the daughter said.

The elderly woman is in a vegetative state, and the old man was incontinent when he first came to the nursing home in 2019.

After a period of recovery, the old man can walk, but is still unable to take care of himself, according to the person in charge of the nursing home.

The daughter claimed 100,000 yuan ($15,143) from the man's family as compensation, but the family refused.

After the negotiation broke down, the daughter decided to take legal action to resolve the issue. Legal proceedings are currently underway.

Cases of sexual assault against women in late life occur frequently, attracting increasing attention from all walks of life, and are not isolated cases, but a social problem that requires social and legal attention and protection.

In August 2015, a 22-year-old man in Zaozhuang, East China's Shandong Province, broke into the house of a 95-year-old woman and raped her after knocking her out with a bench, Xinhuanet reported.

In 2014, a man in Xiayi county in Central China's Henan Province broke into the houses of elderly women living alone and raped more than 10 elderly women whose ages ranged from 73 to 95. Most of the victims did not report the crime as they were too ashamed, according to China Daily.

The elderly are weaker, less threatening and easy to control, making them targets for criminals.

A middle-aged man in Linyi, Shandong Province, committed 19 crimes in four years from April 2010 to June 2014, raping nine elderly women ranging in age from 65 to 86 years old, Shandong Radio & TV Station reported.

According to his confession, he targeted older women who lived alone as they are weaker, and most of them will choose not to report being assaulted as they don't want to shame their children or themselves, which is also an important reason why he was able to commit 19 crimes in four years without being discovered.

According to the Quantitative Survey Report on Research on Gender Violence and Masculinity in China, only 5 percent of all rapes and attempted rape cases have been registered. Among women who experienced rape, only 15 percent told their family members.

The elderly are usually not regarded as potential victims of sexual assault, as people tend to believe older people are not sexually attractive, making it difficult for them to receive attention and protection.

Debilitating physical conditions may also prevent some older women from reporting sexual assault and seeking help, reducing their access to social care and legal assistance.