Many types of abuse can affect the lives of people with disabilities.
- Financial abuse can drain bank accounts and destroy support systems.
- Emotional abuse can make mental health struggles worse.
- Physical abuse threatens health and can escalate into severe harm.
- Sexual abuse, for instance, can leave life-long scars and destroy trust, making it even more challenging for individuals with disabilities to form healthy relationships and navigate the world.
- Verbal abuse creates fear, increases loneliness, and lowers self-esteem.
Numbers Don’t Lie
- Children with disabilities are almost twice as likely to experience physical or sexual abuse or neglect compared to children without disabilities. https://disabilityjustice.org/
- The rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities is almost four times the rate for persons without disabilities. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/
pub/pdf/capd0919st.pdf - Approximately 32% of individuals with disabilities have reported financial abuse. https://www.safvic.org/
- 87% of individuals with disabilities have reported experiencing verbal or emotional abuse. https://www.safvic.org/
In this issue of RAISE The Standard, we will explore how to prevent and respond to abuse of people with disabilities.