Disability, Domestic Violence, and Human Rights

Abstract

Research indicates that people with disabilities experience domestic and family violence both more often and differently to those who do not have a disability. Indeed, disability is often associated with reduced economic status, reduced capacity of survivors to make complaints, and a greater risk that complaints will be inappropriately actioned. This chapter examines how international human rights law has responded to domestic and family violence against women with disabilities. In particular, it argues that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) affords the greatest recognition to date of the human rights of women survivors of domestic and family violence who have a disability. To better understand how the CRPD is being implemented to tackle disability domestic violence, country reports on the implementation of the CRPD are analyzed. The findings reveal that despite the promise of the CRPD, many countries still have a long way to go in developing appropriate responses to disability domestic violence.