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Sexual Violence—Disabilities—articles

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A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities (pdf)

added 12/27/2011

This guide helps women with disabilities from around the world to overcome the barriers of social stigma and inadequate care to improve their general health, self-esteem, and independence as active members of their communities.
Chapter 14 specifically covers abuse, violence and self-defense. The chapter discusses different kinds of abuse, preventing abuse, support for women leaving violent partners, sexual violence, abuse in institutions, and what to do to be safer.

Breaking the Links Between Poverty and Violence against Women: A Resource Guide (pdf)

added 05/27/2009

"This resource guide explores the ways in which poverty and violence are linked. It acknowledges the efforts of women’s groups, community organizations and service agencies that support low-income women to take control of and deal with the poverty and violence in their lives. Another area of focus is to inspire community-based groups to take action on poverty and violence issues by providing practical examples of what others are doing."

Confronting the Sexual Abuse of Women with Disabilities

added 03/21/2005
R. Amy Elman

This VAWnet paper provides a brief summary of the research on sexual abuse of women with disabilities. The document also covers the origins of our knowledge concerning the sexual abuse of women with disabilities, the methodological quandaries related to sexual abuse research in general and the data on women with disabilities and the men who abuse them, and concludes with an exploration of the efforts of women with disabilities and their allies to counter sexual abuse.

Other formats: pdf

Crimes Against People with Disabilities, 2007 (pdf)

added 03/03/2010

"Using 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey data, the study found that persons with disabilities were victims of about 47,000 rapes. Rates of rape and sexual assault were more than twice those for people without disabilities. In addition, youth with a disability ages 12 to 19 experienced violence at nearly twice the rate as those without a disability."

Forging New Collaborations: A Guide for Rape Crisis, Domestic Violence, and Disability Organizations (pdf)

added 06/10/2011
Nancy Smith and Sandra Harrell for the Vera Institute of Justice’s Center on Victimization and Safety

This document was created as a roadmap for bringing together agencies at the intersection of violence and disability so that they can create a new and effective approach to safety, healing, and accessibility to services for their clients.

Other formats: xml

Forgotten Sisters - A Report on Violence Against Women with Disabilities: An Overview of its Nature, Scope, Causes and Consequences

added 10/18/2012
Stephanie Ortoleva, Hope Lewis

This report focuses on the prevalence and pervasiveness of violence against women and girls with disabilities. Although women with disabilities experience many of the same forms of violence all women experience, when gender and disability intersect, violence takes on unique forms, has unique causes, and results in unique consequences. Further, women with disabilities who are also people of color or members of minority or indigenous peoples, or who are lesbian, trans-gender or intersex or who live in poverty, can be subject to particularized forms of violence and discrimination. These intersections must be explored in greater depth to ensure that the complexities of violence against women with disabilities are properly understood and addressed.

Impact: Feature Issue on Violence and Women with Developmental or Other Disabilities (pdf)

added 12/27/2011

This publication presents a collection of articles that explore violence as it impacts women with developmental and other disabilities. This collection offers strategies and ideas for bringing together disability service providers, sexual and domestic violence programs, law enforcement and the justice system, policymakers, researchers, and women with disabilities to prevent future victimization.

Individual-Systemic Violence: Disabled Women's Standpoint (pdf)

added 07/30/2008
Maria Barile, Journal of International Women's Studies (November 2002)

"This article explores reasons for the systemic omission of women with disabilities from mainstream research and from services addressing non-disabled women's experiences."

Interpersonal Violence and Women With Disabilities: A Research Update

added 11/08/2009
Laurie E. Powers, Rosemary B. Hughes, and Emily M. Lund, VAWnet: The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women

"This article provides an update on what researchers have learned during the past ten years about abuse and women with disabilities and offers some perspectives on the state of current research and its implications for future studies and advocacy efforts."

Other formats: pdf

On the Road to Equality: Statewide Findings & Policy Recommendations (pdf)

added 05/25/2010

"A supplement to the Status of Girls in Minnesota report by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota in partnership with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Focus groups were conducted in 18 Minnesota communities that included African American, Latino, Native American, Asian American, LBT (Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender), and disabilities communities — to share key research findings and gain community input. This report captures the voices and policy recommendations of these communities, nonprofit and public leaders."

Recognizing and Interrupting Abuse of Adults with Disabilities

added 01/28/2011

Part of the World Institute on Disability, this website provides information on abuse towards those with a disability. Headings include "What is Abuse", "Types of Abuse", "What contributes to Abuse", and more.

Resource Guide for Advocates & Attorneys on Interpretation Services for Domestic Violence Victims (pdf)

added 04/23/2010
Chic Dabby and Cannon Han

This document provides guidelines from the Interpretation Technical Assistance and Resource Center that focus on court interpretation for domestic and sexual violence victims with limited English proficiency. These guidelines inform how advocacy, interpretation, and language access can be integrated.

Responding to Abuse Against Women with Disabilities: Broadening the Definition of Domestic Violence (pdf)

added 09/17/2012
Mary Ann Curry, R.N., D.N.Sc. and Fran Navarro

An article that discusses the importance of screening for domestic violence by health care providers when serving women with disabilities.

Study Reveals Unique Issues Faced by Deaf Victims of Sexual Assault (pdf)

added 07/30/2008
Lauren R. Taylor with Nicole Gaskin-Laniyan, National Institute of Justice (June 2007)

"Describes findings of a study describing some of the unique barriers faced by deaf victims seeking help and offering recommendations for improving the relationship between law enforcement and the deaf community."

Other formats: html

The Facts about Sexual Violence

added 04/14/2010

This fact sheet provides current information and statistics on sexual violence. Information includes a working definition, explanation of different forms of sexual violence and legal protections for victims of sexual violence.

Other formats: pdf

Thematic study on the issue of violence against women and girls and disability (pdf)

added 07/03/2012
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

This report analyzes national legislation, policies and programmes for the protection and prevention of violence against women and girls with disabilities. It highlights the remaining challenges in addressing the root causes of violence against women and girls with disabilities and how to incorporate women and girls with disabilities into gender-based violence programmes. The study concludes with recommendations on legislative, administrative, policy and programmatic measures to address violence against women and girls with disabilities.

Violence in the Lives of Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

added 06/14/2009
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence in consultation with Gretchen Waech and the National Cross-Systems Advocacy Network

"This Special Collection offers information regarding the experiences and needs of individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing and victims/survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence. The collection seeks to increase knowledge and understanding of deaf culture, provide resources to assist professionals working directly with deaf individuals, and highlight best practices."

Working with Victims of Crime with Disabilities

added 01/13/2006
Cheryl Guidry Tyiska, Director of Victim Services, National Organization for Victim Assistance

This is a product of the Symposium on Working with Crime Victims with Disabilities, funded by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and coordinated by the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). They developed recommendations for OVC and the victim assistance field on improving the response in serving crime victims with disabilities.

Other formats: pdf • plaintext