Some issues fromSome issues fromMaking the links: Making the links:

domestic violence domestic violence and disabled womenand disabled women

Professor Gill HagueProfessor Gill Hague Violence Against Women Research Group, UKViolence Against Women Research Group, UK

Thank youThank you

A A privilegeprivilege to be here and to to be here and to have this opportunity to talk have this opportunity to talk with you today and to share with you today and to share ideas for moving forward on ideas for moving forward on FV / DV and disabilityFV / DV and disability

Our recent studyOur recent study

TheThe first ever national study in the UKfirst ever national study in the UK Attempted to Attempted to break new groundbreak new ground VAWRGVAWRG and and SWELL, Univ of WarwickSWELL, Univ of Warwick, UK, UK Mixed team disabled non-disabled researchersMixed team disabled non-disabled researchers Advisory group of disability activists/ Advisory group of disability activists/

consultantsconsultants Wide consultations and an interview set with Wide consultations and an interview set with

women with disabilities women with disabilities National surveys. Good practice case studies National surveys. Good practice case studies

Interview sets with strategic managersInterview sets with strategic managers

A NOTE ABOUT TERMSA NOTE ABOUT TERMS

In common with the wishes of the In common with the wishes of the disability disability activist movement activist movement in the UK, the term:in the UK, the term:

Disabled womenDisabled women is used in our work, not is used in our work, not women women with disabilitieswith disabilities

Disability used only in theDisability used only in the singular singular to refer to to refer to social social and and structural disadvantagestructural disadvantage

With impairmentsWith impairments used to describe used to describe individualindividual conditionsconditions

Recognise that this is not the case for disability Recognise that this is not the case for disability movements in Australia where movements in Australia where women with women with disabilitiesdisabilities would be the term of choice would be the term of choice

NOTHING ABOUT NOTHING ABOUT USUS WITHOUT WITHOUT USUS

QUOTE FROM DISABILITY QUOTE FROM DISABILITY WORKER IN OUR STUDYWORKER IN OUR STUDY

““The agencies need to The agencies need to work togetherwork together: : it’s it’s not rocket sciencenot rocket science! It’s ! It’s no goodno good if if refuges don’t know about disabled refuges don’t know about disabled people’s organisations and it’s people’s organisations and it’s no no goodgood they don’t know about refuges. they don’t know about refuges.

Doesn't make sense. Stupid, isn’t Doesn't make sense. Stupid, isn’t it?”it?”

What we foundWhat we found GAPS GAPS LACKS BARRIERS LACKS BARRIERS

Gaps in Gaps in provisionprovision Gaps in Gaps in researchresearch Lack of Lack of servicesservices Lack of sensitive Lack of sensitive trainingtraining Lack of Lack of policy makingpolicy making Lack of Lack of awareness raisingawareness raising: victims, public: victims, public Barriers to Barriers to getting helpgetting help Barriers to Barriers to accessing accessing servicesservices Devastating catalogueDevastating catalogue Women with disabilities experiencing Women with disabilities experiencing abuseabuse face face

intense intense vulnerability, neglectvulnerability, neglect and and isolationisolation

In Sum, from our researchIn Sum, from our research……

Disabled women experienceDisabled women experience– AA greater greater needneed for services, coupled with for services, coupled with– Far lessFar less provision and what there is often provision and what there is often

inadequate inadequate

andand lose out on both countslose out on both counts placing disabled placing disabled women in a desperate situation often women in a desperate situation often

Study wide range of recommendations:Study wide range of recommendations:

BUT NOT MUCH GOOD PRACTICE TO LEARN FROMBUT NOT MUCH GOOD PRACTICE TO LEARN FROM

Need for ‘sea change’Need for ‘sea change’ Lack of resourcesLack of resources a major issue both sectors a major issue both sectors Despite best intentions, responses to disabled Despite best intentions, responses to disabled

abused women are abused women are patchy and inadequate in both patchy and inadequate in both our countries our countries and and all over the worldall over the world

Clear evidence: need for Clear evidence: need for more accessible refuge more accessible refuge andand outreach services outreach services

Clear need: Clear need: Sea / culture changeSea / culture change in in a) FV / DV services, b) disability orgsa) FV / DV services, b) disability orgs..

Both at Both at operationaloperational level: how your service level: how your service delivereddelivered

BUT ALSO at BUT ALSO at management / strategicmanagement / strategic level in all level in all relevant agencies: write into the workrelevant agencies: write into the work

Disabled Women’s AdviceDisabled Women’s Advice Remember, proportionally, many Remember, proportionally, many moremore

disabled women are abused than non-disableddisabled women are abused than non-disabled Be informedBe informed about disabled women’s needs about disabled women’s needs Take Take advice from /advice from / consult disabled women consult disabled women ProvideProvide accessible well-publicised accessible well-publicised DV / FV DV / FV

services that disabled women know about: services that disabled women know about: telltell women about them!women about them!

Do not Do not threatenthreaten with institutionalisation with institutionalisation DevelopDevelop good accessible good accessible alternative accomalternative accom

plus support to use itplus support to use it DevelopDevelop disability disability plansplans etc with input from etc with input from

disabled women. Write into the disabled women. Write into the strategiesstrategies Take Take disabled women seriouslydisabled women seriously and do not and do not

patronise uspatronise us

What is neededWhat is needed

More More comprehensive servicescomprehensive services Awareness raisingAwareness raising across the board across the board The allocation of The allocation of dedicated dedicated

resources: resources: key in both key in both ‘Building the ‘Building the Evidence’ Evidence’ andand our study our study

Definitions?Definitions? Monitor, collect dataMonitor, collect data

Definitions and MonitoringDefinitions and Monitoring DefinitionsDefinitions need expanding for disabled women: need expanding for disabled women: A human task; do it in partnershipA human task; do it in partnership

MonitoringMonitoring: how much violence against women : how much violence against women with disabilities is there? with disabilities is there?

Very hard to do: need to do best you can Very hard to do: need to do best you can BUT need to BUT need to ASKASK Two criteria for asking:Two criteria for asking: Needs to be Needs to be safe to asksafe to ask and and support / service support / service

available available if neededif needed

Two vital issuesTwo vital issues

All work on this issue needs to be All work on this issue needs to be Advised byAdvised by / involvement of / involvement of disabled women disabled women

Partnership work: Partnership work: Domestic violence and disability Domestic violence and disability

sectorssectors learning from each otherlearning from each other

Taking Taking leadership from women leadership from women with disabilitieswith disabilities with expertise with expertise

in the issuein the issue ParticipationParticipation of and of and learning fromlearning from women with disabilities women with disabilities

who have experience of -- or expertise on-- FV/ DV as both who have experience of -- or expertise on-- FV/ DV as both service providers and service usersservice providers and service users

Women with disabilities participating in key positions in Women with disabilities participating in key positions in relevant prelevant policy and service devtolicy and service devt

Employing Employing disabled women expert workers disabled women expert workers and and as as managersmanagers

Decision making and policy and service devt. with disabled Decision making and policy and service devt. with disabled women with expertisewomen with expertise

Disability and FV / DV sectors Disability and FV / DV sectors getting to know each othergetting to know each other and and

working togetherworking together Meeting!Meeting! WorkshopsWorkshops Giving Giving talkstalks at each other’s places: quote at each other’s places: quote Signposting between agencies: respecting / Signposting between agencies: respecting /

using each other’s expertiseusing each other’s expertise JointJoint training training Inter-agencyInter-agency events and forums events and forums Disabled women Disabled women champions champions meeting with meeting with

directors / managers of larger orgs.directors / managers of larger orgs.

Policies, Standards and Policies, Standards and trainingtraining

Disability and/or domestic violence Disability and/or domestic violence policies policies in relevant orgin relevant org

Disability equality trainingDisability equality training and/or and/or domestic violence trainingdomestic violence training

Provided by Provided by disabled women withdisabled women with expertiseexpertise in domestic violence in domestic violence issues where possibleissues where possible

Standards and Codes of Standards and Codes of PracticePractice

Negotiate, agree and write into Negotiate, agree and write into Minimum standardsMinimum standards on disability and on disability and

FV / DVFV / DV DV Quality MarksDV Quality Marks at different levels: help at different levels: help

get funding?get funding? e.g. providing some resources and e.g. providing some resources and

servicesservices Two sectors having to collaborate:Two sectors having to collaborate: Written into codes / standardsWritten into codes / standards

DE & DV training: Best practiceDE & DV training: Best practice

A A gendered approachgendered approach to domestic violence to domestic violence The The social modelsocial model approach to disability approach to disability

Training would be expected to cover Training would be expected to cover diversity issues, including for disabled diversity issues, including for disabled BME women, lesbians, older women….BME women, lesbians, older women….

To include practical issuesTo include practical issues

Building more accessible FV / DV servicesBuilding more accessible FV / DV servicesDisability auditsDisability audits of your service, what have of your service, what have you got, what do you got, what do you need to doyou need to do

BuildBuild accessible accessible service in all ways (far service in all ways (far wider than wheelchair access wider than wheelchair access

Awareness raisingAwareness raising and and reaching outreaching out to to a) public and b) disabled women: no good a) public and b) disabled women: no good having nice new accessible services if having nice new accessible services if disabled women don’t know about then disabled women don’t know about then

In general:In general:

The State/ Statutory SectorThe State/ Statutory Sector Mainstreaming Mainstreaming in the state sector, in the state sector,

written into work targets and integral to written into work targets and integral to all relevant budgets and policies, all relevant budgets and policies, strategies, plansstrategies, plans

Abused disabled woman must have Abused disabled woman must have as as much control as possible in responses.much control as possible in responses. Need to balance Need to balance

a) protection and risk assessment a) protection and risk assessment b) women’s empowerment approachb) women’s empowerment approach

•

Possible specific recommendationsPossible specific recommendations

CCommunity care packages: agree ommunity care packages: agree protocols so protocols so package portablepackage portable in in cases of FV / DVcases of FV / DVBoth disabled people’s and FV / DV Both disabled people’s and FV / DV organisations: organisations: Get it into your Get it into your briefbrief, your , your missionmissionGet it into Get it into Strategic / Commissioning Strategic / Commissioning Frameworks, Government initiatives: Frameworks, Government initiatives: Women with disabilities Women with disabilities often often absentabsent

::

ConclusionConclusion Overall, it is essential that all relevant services Overall, it is essential that all relevant services

take on the issuetake on the issue  

For too long, disabled women facing abuse For too long, disabled women facing abuse have been ignored and left without assistance have been ignored and left without assistance

from the agencies meant to offer helpfrom the agencies meant to offer help ““Good practice means all relevant agencies Good practice means all relevant agencies

attempting to break down the invisibility and attempting to break down the invisibility and silence about disability and domestic abuse”silence about disability and domestic abuse”

  

Now is the time to make a changeNow is the time to make a change