Having a disability places an individual in the world’s largest minority group.
This is a sad story which needs to be told. Almost 5,000 disabled adults – across 106 Councils – have been sexually abused in the past two years.
As the NSPPCC put it, this is the ‘visible peak’ of what could be a bigger problem of sexual assault against disabled people. People with learning difficulties were the victims of almost two-thirds of reported incidents. The others had a range of physical difficulties. Disabled children are also likely victims.
The Charity stated that they had seen some ‘horrendous cases’ involving young disabled people.
Frances Ryan
Frances Ryan, writing in the Guardian said, “There are gangs of boys who don’t have a disability who are grooming girls who do.”
“Your stomach may be starting to crawl at this point. Mine is. I think most of us would put the rape and assault of people with disabilities into the category of things we do not want to think about – let alone say out loud. But then, that is part of the problem. Hush it up. Ignore the warnings. Some things should not be real.”
She continued, “Here’s the reality. Today’s findings of sexual assault against disabled adults – and likely, teenagers and children – is part of the large-scale abuse of disabled people in this country. Disabled children and young people are three to four times more likely to be abused and neglected than their non-disabled peers according to the NSPCC.”
She added, “To an abuser who likes power and control, a disability is perfect. It is easier to rape or slap someone who cannot move. Women’s Aid refer to cases where abusers have withheld their girlfriend’s medicine or deliberately refused to help them get to the toilet. Vulnerability comes in trying to leave too. Escaping abuse is difficult for any victim but it’s only compounded when the person abusing you is the only one you rely on to help you dress and get out of the house. Cultural stigma around disability is as much of a trap – the belief that disabled people are sexless or stupid.”
Victoria Derbyshire
According to the Victoria Derbyshire programme thousands of adults with learning difficulties have been sexually abused in the past two years.
The BBC Investigation found that there were 4,748 reports of sexual abuse against adults with disabilities. Of these, 63% were against people with learning difficulties.
Noelle Blackman, chief executive of the charity, RESPOND, agreed with the findings. She said, ” What we’re (RESPOND) really noticing at the moment is young people being abused by other young people. Often the perpetrators don’t have a learning disability, and often there will be gangs of boys who don’t have a disability who are grooming girls who do, which is a really worrying trend.”
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Not only do disabled people experience higher rates of domestic abuse, they also experience more barriers to accessing support, such as health and social care services and domestic abuse services. However, services can address this by closing knowledge gaps, by improving accessibility and identification and by providing more opportunities for disclosure and support. They can do this by training health and social care professionals and staff in domestic abuse services, by improving integration of services and by engaging directly with disabled people.