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.
Scope
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