Article 16 Protection against exploitation, violence and abuse
Persons with Disabilities facing domestic violence and sexual assault (in response to Paragraphs 112 and 116 of the State Report)
According to the State Report, intimate partner violence involving persons with disabilities account for only 3% of the total number of cases reported. This low statistic may be attributed to the fact that people with disabilities often do not have the means to seek help and even when they do, may have difficulty in communicating their abusive experiences. Hence, it is hard to obtain accurate statistics on the situation.
According to Zhou et al. 2016, the number of people with disabilities who have been sexually assaulted increased from 581 in 2008 to 1,100 in 2014. Official statistics on domestic violence and sexual assault cases in 2015 reveal that the proportion of female victims is much higher than that of male victims. In addition, women with disabilities are more susceptible to abuse; with twice the number of domestic violence cases and four times that for sexual assault compared to other women. (refer to Tables 16-1 and 16-2)
It is recommended that the Government increase the sensitivity and awareness of front line personnel (teachers, law enforcement and judicial officers, social workers, health care personnel etc.) to violence issues so that they can better detect signs of abuse. In addition, women with disabilities should have access to sex education and gender equality education, so that they will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills that allow them to better assess dangerous situations and seek out relevant resources for assistance and protection. The government should review the current channels of assistance provided, or examples, emergency shelters, protection and resettlement, counseling, and legal assistance, in order to determine if they have adequately met the diverse needs of women with disabilities. In addition, they should engage the use of multiple media platforms and channels to increase publicity and bring attention to these schemes.
| Victims | Total | Male | FIELD4 | Female | FIELD6 | Unknown | FIELD8 | National Population | Total | Male | Female | Victims | FIELD14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of people (A) |
Number of people (B) |
Percentage (B/A) |
Number of people (C) |
Percentage (C/A) |
Number of people (D) |
Percentage (D/A) |
Number of people (E) |
Number of people (F) |
Total (G) |
Male (B/F) |
Female (C/G) |
||
| Total | 63,730 | 17,300 | 27.10% | 45,877 | 72.00% | 553 | 0.90% | Total | 23,492,074 | 11,712,047 | 11,780,027 | 0.15% | 0.39% |
| People without Disabilities | 57,336 | 14,962 | 26.10% | 41,896 | 73.10% | 478 | 0.80% | People without disabilities | 22,336,424 | 11,056,603 | 11,279,821 | 0.07% | 0.37% |
| People with Disabilities | 6,394 | 2,338 | 36.60% | 3,981 | 62.30% | 75 | 1.20% | People with Disabilities | 1,155,650 | 655,444 | 500,206 | 0.20% | 0.80% |
| Victim | Total | Male | FIELD4 | Female | FIELD6 | Unknown | FIELD8 | National Population | Total | Male | Female | Victims | FIELD14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of people (A) |
Number of people (B) |
Percentage (B/A) |
Number of people (C) |
Percentage (C/A) |
Number of people (D) |
Percentage (D/A) |
Number of people (E) |
Number of people (F) |
Total (G) |
Male (B/F) |
Female (C/G) |
||
| Total | 6,215 | 939 | 15.10% | 5,228 | 84.10% | 48 | 0.80% | Total | 23,492,074 | 11,712,047 | 11,780,027 | 0.01% | 0.04% |
| People without disabilities | 5,144 | 760 | 14.80% | 4,347 | 84.50% | 37 | 0.70% | People without disabilities | 22,336,424 | 11,056,603 | 11,279,821 | 0.01% | 0.04% |
| People with disabilities | 1,071 | 179 | 16.70% | 881 | 82.30% | 11 | 1.00% | People with disabilities | 1,155,650 | 655,444 | 500,206 | 0.03% | 0.18% |