Promoting the rights of Children with disabilities innocenti digest no

Protection from violence, exploitation and abuse
Children are entitled to protection from violence, 
exploitation and abuse, including from economic 
exploitation, sexual exploitation and abuse, sale, 
trafficking and any similar practices prejudicial to the 
child’s welfare. Children and young persons with 
disabilities have been reported as being significantly 
more likely to be the victims of physical, sexual 
and psychological abuse than their peers without 
disabilities. The powerlessness, social isolation and 
stigma faced by children with disabilities make them 
highly vulnerable to violence and exploitation in their 
own homes, as well as in care centres, institutions or 
on the street.
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A child who requires assistance with 
washing, dressing and other intimate care activities 
may be particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse. 
Perpetrators can include caretakers, attendants, 
family members, peers or anyone who enjoys a 
position of trust and power. School bullying is also a 
form of abuse.
As observed by the World Report on Violence 
against Children, commissioned by the UN Secretary-
General, “children with disabilities are at heightened 
risk of violence for a variety of reasons, ranging from 
deeply ingrained cultural prejudices to the higher 
emotional, physical, economic, and social demands 
that a child’s disability can place on his or her 
family.”
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Impairments often make children appear 
as ’easy victims’, not only because they may have 
difficulty in defending themselves or in reporting 
the abuse, but also because their accounts are often 
dismissed.
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Violence against a child with a disability 
may be perceived as somehow less serious and the 
child’s testimony may be regarded as less reliable 
than that of a person without disabilities. Sometimes 
there is a reluctance to report rape or other forms 
of sexual abuse for fear of bringing more shame 
upon an already stigmatized family.
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The problem is 
compounded because initiatives to protect children 
from abuse rarely include children with disabilities 
in their remit.
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Similarly, although article 39 of the 
CRC calls for recovery and reintegration support for 
children who have suffered abuse, this is far less 
often provided for children with a disability.
In addition, as a review carried out for the UN 
Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against 
Children notes, “disabled children are also 
disproportionately represented in the criminal 
justice system. Furthermore, once in the system, 
they often fare far worse than their non-disabled 
peers.”
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The review considered the often inadequate 
understanding of disability concerns by officials in the 
legal, law enforcement and correctional systems. In 
consequence they may not recognize problems or 
conditions, or know how to protect and support these 
children. For example, deaf children will not be able to 
use telephone hotlines to report abuse. There is a clear 
need for staff development and support in this area.