Violence Against Women with Disabilities

What do we mean when we talk about violence against women with disabilities? How is it different from violence against women in general? How is it the same? How is it different from violence against people with disabilities in general? How can we protect the right of women with disabilities to freedom from violence? The International Network of Women with Disabilities (INWWD) undertook a
discussion of violence against women with disabilities in 2009-2010, to answer some of these questions from the perspectives and experiences of women with disabilities themselves. The resulting document provides the basis of this Paper. The INWWD was
launched in 2008 and is comprised of women from international, regional, national or local organizations, groups or networks of women with disabilities, as well as individual women with disabilities and allied women. The mission of the INWWD is to enable
women with disabilities to share their knowledge and experience, enhance their capacity to speak up for their rights, empower themselves to bring about positive change and inclusion in their communities, and promote their involvement in politics at all levels – to create a more just and fair world that acknowledges disability and gender, justice, and human rights. The aim of this Paper is to educate people about the violence experienced by women with disabilities, to make recommendations about what can be done by a variety of stakeholders to end violence against women with disabilities, to motivate agencies dealing with violence against women to include prevention of violence against women with disabilities in their work, and to empower women with disabilities to protect
themselves against violence.

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