Wednesday 15 April 2015

Disabled Victims

Disabled girls and women are vulnerable to abuse by carers and partners because of their isolation and physical incapacity, new research says.



In some cases the abuse took place in special education institutions, the British Sociological Association's annual conference in Glasgow was told today.

Dr Sarah Woodin, of the University of Leeds, and Dr Sonali Shah, of the University of Glasgow, carried out research with 45 physically disabled or deaf women in the UK who had been abused. The project was part of a large EU-funded international study.

“There was evidence from some of the women's narratives that perpetrators exploited the fact the women were reliant on them because they were responsible for providing their personal support and giving them their medication,” Dr Woodin said.

Elma, 39, from Leeds, told the researchers that her disability made her an easy target for perpetrators of financial abuse. “Men they can see a disabled woman and think she's an easy touch and I've had that a lot through the years. It's like they see a vulnerability and they might as well see pound signs.”

The research also looked at some of the barriers that disabled women encountered when reporting abuse, such as a lack of interpreters for deaf women which could delay their giving statements to the police.

 “This study suggests that disabled women are also more likely than non-disabled women to encounter barriers from professional support services, including the criminal justice system.” However specialist support services and disabled people's organisations could be the key to a “new life”, she said.
 
 
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