Disabled Adults More Prone to Be Victims of Violence

One study indicates that adults with disabilities are more prone to be victims of violence than adults without disabilities. United Kingdom’s Liverpool John Moores University and the World Health Organization conducted a study on violence against disabled adults and found that almost a quarter of people with mental illnesses experienced violence within the past twelve months.

The violence was found to be either physical or sexual and often by an intimate partner. Studies indicate that the disabled are often the victims of violence because they are vulnerable and have limited communication abilities so they cannot fight back or report the violence to authorities.

Experts are searching for ways to address the problem, but they say that more studies are needed to determine the cause-and-effect relationship of the abuse. It is not clear whether the violence causes the disability or the disability causes the violence. A proper solution involves better methods of identifying victims and identifying appropriate care services.

See Adults With Disabilities are more Likely to Be Victims of Violence, ABC News, Feb. 28, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.