Sexual and Gender-Based Violence of the Differently Abled
“Hello there! I’m here to provide you with a bit of information on the various facets of abuse involving differently abled individuals and their rights. Experiencing abuse in any form is NOT OKAY, but what you are experiencing as a result of abuse is valid. What you, as a bystander, are going through while supporting a survivor is absolutely okay and typical too! If you need additional resources or just someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to The Neeti Project."
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Written By: Megha Kishore
The differently abled are often fed ideas that they are unworthy of love or unwelcome in society. Abusers reinforce this message. Sexual violence against differently abled individuals is a silent epidemic, often overlooked within and outside of reproductive health, human rights, and justice circles.According to statistics reported by the Bureau of Justice (2009 –2014) National Crime Victimization Survey:
- people who were differently abled were three times more likely than abled individuals to experience serious violent crime including rape and sexual assault. Additionally, having multiple disabilities can increase a person’s risk of rape and sexual assault.
- children with mental health or intellectual conditions were nearly five times more likely than abled peers to experience sexual abuse. There exists a history of not discussing issues of sexual violence perpetrated on the differently abled largely due to stereotyping of differently abled women's' sexuality, power dynamics, and economic inequality (Sexual Violence and the Disability Community, 2021)
- Crimes involving abuse perpetrated towards individuals who are intellectually differently abled often remain unrecognized, unprosecuted and unpunished. Consequently, the abuser remains free to abuse again. The survivor is often re-victimized multiple times (Shapiro, 2018).
According to a global survey from 2005:
- 83% of women who are differently abled will be sexually assaulted throughout their lives.
- Just 3% of sexual abuses involving people who are developmentally differently abled are ever reported.
- 50% of girls who had impaired hearing had been sexually abused compared to 25% of girls who could hear
- 54% of boys who had impaired hearing had been sexually abused in comparison to 10% of boys who could hear
- Women who were differently abled were more likely to have a history of undesired sex with an intimate partner (19.7% vs. 8.2%).
- Approximately 80% of women and 30% of men with developmental disabilities had been sexually assaulted. Half of the women studied had been assaulted more than 10 times (Disability Justice, 2022).
What Are Some Effects that Sexual Violence Can Have on the Differently Abled?
Sexual violence can increase the possibility of the survivor or victim experiencing:
- a trauma-induced mental health disability
According to End Rape on Campus, women survivors or victims can experience:
- depression
- post-traumatic stress disorders
- alcohol or other drug use at rates higher than individuals' who have not experienced sexual violence.
Survivors may also experience:
- physical - sexually transmitted infections, bruises, and serious physical injuries)
- psychosomatic - difficulty sleeping and headaches
- behavioral - aggressiveness and withdrawal effects (Sexual Violence and the Disability Community, 2021)
What are Some Factors that Cause Violence to be Perpetrated Against Differently Abled People?
1. The myths believed regarding the sexuality and autonomy of differently abled individuals fuel assaults perpetrated against them. These myths include:
1. The myths believed regarding the sexuality and autonomy of differently abled individuals fuel assaults perpetrated against them. These myths include:
- stereotyping all differently abled people as asexual
- assuming that to be differently abled provides a license to be discriminated
- assuming that to be differently abled means that the individual is incapable of participating equally in an intimate relationship
- assuming that differently abled people cannot control their urges
2. There exists a lack of comprehensive sex education provided in accessible formats to differently abled individuals. Providing this awareness would enable individuals to make informed decisions about their bodies and health.
3. Society and the media fail to provide an accurate representation of the differently abled, which results in misinformation (Sexual Violence and the Disability Community, 2021)
What is the Relationship Between Gender and People Who are Differently Abled?
Gender-based violence against women: refers to violence that targets individuals or groups on the basis of their gender. It expresses the existence of power inequality between genders and often describes the discriminative perception of women and girls in societies. Gender-based violence fuels gender inequality by keeping women and girls subordinate and under the control of men. (Disability and gender-based violence, n.d.)
Some forms of violence against differently abled women remain invisible and unrecognized as gender-based violence due to discrimination against the differently abled. Differently abled women around the world experience higher levels of physical, sexual, and psychological violence for longer periods, resulting in worse physical and mental outcomes compared to abled women.
Women and girls are also vulnerable due to:
- Patriarchal attitudes: Attitudes towards women in patriarchal societies combined with vulnerabilities related to any physical or cognitive impairments.
- Perceived powerlessness: Differently abled women and girls are perceived weak, are additionally isolated form society, causing them to have lesser support or defense from abuse. Some examples of this are being hidden away, the nature of impairment leaves the individual isolated, or the individual may engage in self blame.
- Inaccessible support services: A lack of awareness regarding issues experienced by differently abled women and girls leads to lesser help seeking from legal services, mental health services, etc. (Disability and gender-based violence, n.d.)
Gender-based violence and men:
Violence based on gender can affect men as well as women. Evidence demonstrates that men and boys can be harassed, beaten, raped and killed in armed conflict or due to non-compliance with prevailing societal masculine ideologies. Sexual violence against men is also used as a technique to punish, oppress, and intimidate men because it is perceived to diminish a mans sense of masculinity (Disability and gender-based violence, n.d.).
Violence based on gender can affect men as well as women. Evidence demonstrates that men and boys can be harassed, beaten, raped and killed in armed conflict or due to non-compliance with prevailing societal masculine ideologies. Sexual violence against men is also used as a technique to punish, oppress, and intimidate men because it is perceived to diminish a mans sense of masculinity (Disability and gender-based violence, n.d.).
In regions of conflict, violence is used as a weapon of terror to emasculate men and further weaken the community or group under attack. This strategy increases the likelihood of men experiencing physically and sexually abused and raped. However, little to no information exists in the realm of gender-based violence against differently abled men and boys, and data in this area is not disaggregated by disability.
Psychological violence against differently abled men and boys persist as well. This population may be exposed to increased ridicule by questioning their perceived gender role regarding their ability to provide and protect for their families. It remains a possibility that victims of the attack in these situations do not reports these incidents to avoid further perceived shame and loss of masculinity.
Where Can You Find Help?
- 1800 233 7913
- 011 4607 0380
- 011 6597 8181
- 1800 180 1253
- 011 2647 4022
- 011 2982 5094 / 011 2982 5096 / 011 2982 5095
- 1122 356 476
- 011 2984 1830 / 011 4172 4636
- 1800 116 800 / 011 2646 6250
- 03592 201181/204081 / 03592 204 081
- 080 2679 7951 / 080 2679 7964 / 080 2679 7948
- 0141-2369701 / 0141-2369702
- 0755 4293399
- 0755-2685954 / 0755-2685955 / 0755-2685956
What Global and Indian Rights and Laws are Relevant to the Differently Abled Community?
The United Nations General Assembly adopted its Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 13th day of December 2006. The Right of Persons with Disabilities Act has been passed in India (2016). The law includes the following provisions:
- Equality and Non-discrimination
- Women and children with disabilities
- Community Life
- Protection from cruelty and inhuman treatment
- Protection from abuse , violence and exploitation
- Protection from safety
- Reproductive rights
- Accessibility to justice and voting
- Specific measures to promote and facilitate inclusive education
- Non-discrimination in employment (The Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, n.d.).
How Can You Help?
- Increase awareness and education about disability justice and crimes against the differently abled.
- Encourage NGO’s and human rights activists to join hands and protect the differently abled community too.
- Include gender-relevant stigmas, sex education, and disabilities as chapters taught in school curriculum.
- Train officers and hospital workers in being sensitive towards disability relevant issues.
***
References
Government of India. (n.d.). The rights of persons with disabilities, 2016. Retrieved from legislative.gov.in. https://legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/A2016-49_1.pdf
Sexual abuse. (2022, January 5). Disability Justice. Retrieved from https://disabilityjustice.org/sexual-abuse/
Sexual abuse. (2022, January 5). Disability Justice. Retrieved from https://disabilityjustice.org/sexual-abuse/
Sexual violence and the disability community. (2021, February 12). Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/sexual-violence-disability-community/
Shapiro, J. (2018, January 8). The sexual assault epidemic no one talks about. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2018/01/08/570224090/the-sexual-assault-epidemic-no-one-talks-about
Shapiro, J. (2018, January 8). The sexual assault epidemic no one talks about. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2018/01/08/570224090/the-sexual-assault-epidemic-no-one-talks-about
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