Disability and violence

"Abuse of women with disabilities is a significant societal problem of which practitioners, service providers, and other professionals must be aware, respond to, and work to alleviate. Practitioners in most settings will encounter client systems impacted by disability, and many of their clients may be victims of abuse. Primary objectives of this paper are (1) to summarize issues and problems relevant to abuse of women with disabilities (2) to describe some of the empowering, proactive attitudes and behaviours of victim-survivors and their support networks, and (3) to further emphasize the need for practitioners to give primacy to helping such clients empower themselves to (re)take and maintain charge of their lives"
Sexuality and Disability, Vol 28, No 3

This report presents the findings of a situational assessment that explored the risk factors and vulnerabilities of women and men with disabilities to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and highlights the complexity of addressing SGBV, sexuality, and the stigma and discrimination that is part of the daily reality for persons with disabilities. Recommendations are provided for various stakeholder groups
SD/ RS 05

This interim report presents a research project which explores disabled women’s experiences of domestic violence and investigates existing service provision available to them. It is "based on two national surveys, one of domestic violence organisations and one of disabled people’s organisations. Specialist facilities and accessible services were in short supply in both sectors. One recurrent issue was lack of secure on-going funding, which held many organisations back from developing their services as fully and inclusively they might wish. The provision of appropriate training, and improved liaison between the two sectors, would help to provide a better service for disabled women experiencing abuse"

This factsheet provides information about family violence against women with disabilities. It highlights the different form of violence and abuse that may be committed against disabled women and various supports available. This resource is useful to anyone interested in family violence against women with disabilities

This report focuses upon prevalence and pervasiveness of violence against women and girls with disabilities. It "reviews available information on the forms, causes and consequences of violence against women when both gender and disability collide to exacerbate that violence; examines the impact of the multiple and intersecting dimensions of women’s lives and; their impact on violence against women with disabilities. The Report outlines the international and regional legal framework, highlighting relevant provisions and interpretations. Finally, the Report examines the extent to which States have met their due diligence obligations (setting forth a few country-specific case studies) highlights some best practices, discusses significant gaps in the research and makes recommendations for future action"
Paper series no 104-2012

"In mid June 2011, at its 17th session, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a Resolution to accelerate efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. The Resolution called for a study to be conducted on the issue of violence against women and girls and disabilities, with the report of the study to be presented to the 20th session of the Human Rights Council in 2012. WWDA's Submission to the preparation phase of the UN Analytical Study on Violence Against Women and Girls with Disabilities, provides an overview of the legislation, regulatory frameworks, policy, administrative procedures, services and support available within Australia to prevent and address violence against women and girls with disabilities. It provides detailed information under the following themes: data and statistics; legislation and policies; prevention and protection; prosecution and punishment, and recovery, rehabilitation and social integration"

This paper presents the findings of a "participatory research project, developed collaboratively between Australian and Cambodian partners, (that) investigated prevalence and experiences of gender-based violence of women with disabilities in comparison to women without disabilities; assessed the extent to which existing policies and programs include or address women with disabilities; and explored how women with disabilities are supported or denied access to existing programs"
AusAID Research Working Paper 1

"The aim of this paper is to educate people about the violence experienced by women with disabilities, to make recommendations about what can be done by a variety of stakeholders to end violence against women with disabilities, to motivate agencies dealing with violence against women to include prevention of violence against women with disabilities in their work, and to empower women with disabilities to protect themselves against violence"
Barbara Faye Waxman Fiduccia Papers on Women and Girls with Disabilities

"Research findings reveal that women with disabilities experience rates of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse that are comparable to, if not greater than, women without disabilities. Disability specialists propose that women with disabilities experience specific vulnerabilities to abuse. The question in the present study was, ‘What types of abuse experienced by women with physical disabilities are directly related to their disability?’ Of the 504 women with disabilities who responded to a questionnaire assessing sexuality and relationships, 181 of the women completed open-ended questions about abuse. Using qualitative techniques, we analysed their responses and identified disability-specific types of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse"
Sexuality and Disability, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2001

"This report aims to provide more detail on the individual findings of the study. It provides rational for utilising the term sexual violence, an overview of the study between the four countries, individual country analysis of the four countries and additionally recommendations for improving the situation for children with disabilities"
SD/RS 4

This report sets out findings and recommendations determined by the the Thematic Group on Violence Against Disabled Children. The larger aim of this resource is to identify how violence against disabled children can be best addressed in society. This work would be useful for anyone with an interest in child abuse issues, and disability and development

This report concerns HIV and AIDS preventative activities targeting people with disabilities in Kenya. Specifically, the report gathers information concerning the knowledge, attitude and practices among people with disabilities; and qualitative and quantitative data including 618 questionnaires conducted in Nairobi and Mobassa. The report findings advise on the development of policy on HIV and AIDS for people with disabilities in Kenya

"Focusing on the southern parts of the country, this report examines the experiences of persons with mental disabilities in Ghana in the three main environments in which they receive care: the broader community, the country’s three public psychiatric hospitals, and residential prayer camps...Human Rights Watch found that persons with mental disabilities in Ghana often experience a range of human rights abuses in the prayer camps and hospitals that Human Rights Watch researchers visited. These patients are ostensibly sent to these institutions by their family members, police, or their communities for help. Abuses are taking place despite the fact that Ghana has ratified a number of international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which was ratified in July 2012. These abuses include denial of food and medicine, inadequate shelter, involuntary medical treatment, and physical abuse amounting to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment"
The report is available in pdf, easy to read and html formats