What would you do if you found out your grandmother had been hurt by another family member? Or you saw your elderly neighbour being yelled at by her caregiver?

It’s painful to picture our older friends and family members being abused by the people they trust. Yet, a survey released in 2016 by the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly estimated that 766,000 Canadian seniors – more than three-quarters of a million – were abused last year.

On June 15, people all over the globe are recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to shed much-needed light on the issue. Elder abuse is “a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person,” according to the World Health Organization.

Kathryn Borel’s recent statement about why she pressed charges against Jian Ghomeshi drew national attention to the issue of sexual harassment at work. But many cases will never be reported or make the headlines.

Disturbingly, workplace sexual harassment is fairly common in Canada, particularly for women. A 2014 Angus Reid poll indicated that 43% of women have received unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours or have been subjected to sexually-charged jokes while at work. Women are four times as likely as men to have experienced harassment. Twenty per cent say they’ve been sexually assaulted while on the clock.