Mistreatment Of Persons With Disabilities

“Persons with disabilities are 4 to 10 times more likely to become a victim of violence, abuse, or neglect than persons without disabilities. Children with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be physically or sexually abused as children without disabilities” ("Violence against Persons with Disabilities"). Physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse are only four of many forms of mistreatment that are common. Any of the listed forms of abuse can and most likely will establish a harmful mental health issue within the victim. Unlike physical or sexual abuse, emotional and verbal abuse can be difficult to prove. A mentally handicapped person is seen as vulnerable and less likely to report an assault, putting them at risk as an easy

One of the several major types of maltreatment towards the intellectually disabled is sexual abuse. This severe form of abuse affects more women than men. According to disabled-world.com, about 30% of men and 80% of women with mental disabilities have been taken advantage of. This is because women are usually seen as easier targets for their decreased strength. Males are also the main attackers. However, disabled men are “twice as likely to become a victim of sexual violence” than men without disabilities (Davis). Sexual assault is already a huge problem in society today, but those with developmental problems are five times more likely of being sexually or physically assaulted. There are several risk factors that tie into this statistic. People with intellectual disabilities often have a lack of understanding, social awareness, or knowledge as to what sexual violence is. They also are often unable to give consent or defend themselves (Buchanan,Wilkins). This leads to confusion and intimidation, which is why the victim tends to keep quiet after an assault. Often, the victim of sexual

The mentally disabled people in our world are not only sexually abused by their caregivers, but also physically abused. Physical abuse is defined as “any act of violence or rough treatment that causes injury or discomfort, such as slapping, pushing or hitting, it may include over or under-medicating and the use of physical restraints” ("Violence against Persons with Disabilities”). According to disabilityjustice.org “children with disabilities are three times more likely to be abused than their peers without disabilities (“Abuse and Exploitation of People”). It is extremely heartbreaking and a abhorrent action that in our society today people tend to abuse the mentally disabled more because they think that they don’t comprehend it fully or they do not know how to report it. But in fact sometimes they do. People with mental disabilities are more susceptible to being abused due to the fact that they perceive them as weak, they are often isolated, and are more afraid of the consequences if they do report the actions. Another statistic found is according to disabilityjustice.org , the United States Department of Health and Human Services conducted a survey in 2009 and 11 percent of all child abuse victims showed a sign of having a physical, cognitive and/or behavioral disability (“Abuse and Exploitation of People”). The signs that a person shows who has been physically abused is that they