Domestic Violence Impacts People with Disabilities

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

By Timothy Redd
Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) evolved from the "Day of Unity" held in October 1981 and conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The mission was to connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children.

The Day of Unity soon became an entire week devoted to a range of activities conducted at the local, state, and national level. The activities conducted were as varied and diverse as the program sponsors but had common themes:

• Mourning those who have died because of domestic violence
• Celebrating those who have survived
• Connecting those who work to end violence

These three themes remain a key focus of DVAM events today. In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. That same year marks the initiation of the first national domestic violence toll-free hotline. In 1989, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 101-112 designating October of that year as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Such legislation has passed every year since with National Coalition Against Domestic Violence providing key leadership in this effort. Each year, the Day of Unity is celebrated the first Monday of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability or gender can be a victim – or perpetrator – of domestic violence. Domestic violence includes behaviors that physically harm, arouse fear, prevent a partner from doing what they wish or force them to behave in ways they do not want. It includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation. Many of these different forms of domestic violence and abuse can be occurring at any one time within the same intimate relationship.

 According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in the United States, an average of 20 people are physically abused by intimate partners every minute. This equates to more than 10 million abuse victims annually. When looking at the rate of abuse the numbers are staggering. The World Health Organization reports that children and adults with disabilities are at much higher risk of violence than their non-disabled peers, according to two systematic reviews recently published in the Lancet.

A 2012 review found that children with disabilities are almost four times more likely to experience violence than non-disabled children. The review also indicated that children with disabilities are 3.7 times more likely than non-disabled children to be victims of any sort of violence, 3.6 times more likely to be victims of physical violence, and 2.9 times more likely to be victims of sexual violence.

Children with mental or intellectual impairments appear to be among the most vulnerable, with 4.6 times the risk of sexual violence than their non-disabled peers. The systematic review on violence against adults with disabilities, published in February 2012, found that overall they are 1.5 times more likely to be a victim of violence than those without a disability, while those with mental health conditions are at nearly four times the risk of experiencing violence.

“The results of these reviews prove that people with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to violence, and their needs have been neglected for far too long,” notes Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of WHO’s Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability. “We know that specific strategies exist to prevent violence and mitigate its consequences. We now need to determine if these also work for children and adults with disabilities. An agenda needs to be set for action."

Some of the factors that contribute to the higher risk of violence are stigma, discrimination, and ignorance about disability, as well as a lack of social support for those who care for them. Placement of people with disabilities in institutions also increases their vulnerability to violence. In these settings and elsewhere, people with communication impairments are hampered in their ability to disclose abusive experiences.

If you are a victim of domestic violence don’t hesitate to call 911 and you also seek help with the Nation Domestic Abuse Hotline. 1-800-799-7233.

To learn more look at these links:

• http://www.thehotline.org/
• http://www.nrcdv.org/dvam/