To shut Sexual Assault Consciousness Month (SAAM), we’re sharing this letter from Alison Barkoff, who leads ACL, Jeff Hild, who leads the Administration for Kids and Households, and Admiral Rachel Levine, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Well being, which was written to enhance assist for individuals with mental and/or developmental disabilities who expertise sexual violence – and to forestall it from occurring.
The letter and the record of suggestions it references had been despatched to HHS-funded packages, together with rape disaster facilities, behavioral well being packages, violence towards ladies well being program initiatives, and people who serve individuals with I/DD and are actually posted on ACL’s web site (as a mixed PDF).
Expensive Colleague,
April is Sexual Assault Consciousness Month (SAAM) and a time to resume our dedication to stopping sexual assault and supporting those that have been victimized.
This April, the Administration for Group Residing, the Workplace of the Assistant Secretary for Well being, and the Administration for Kids and Households are issuing this informational memo about sexual violence towards individuals with mental and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This letter goals to boost consciousness of the disparities individuals with I/DD expertise that may put them at higher threat for sexual assault and offers steering and sources that assist advocates and different care suppliers acknowledge sexual violence and enhance companies for survivors.
In response to the CDC’s Nationwide Intimate Accomplice and Sexual Violence Survey, over half of ladies and virtually a 3rd of males have or will expertise a type of undesirable sexual contact of their lifetimes. Whereas statistics differ, a better prevalence of sexual violence towards individuals with disabilities is well-documented, and an estimated 2 in 5 feminine victims of rape are reported to have a incapacity on the time of assault. A latest research from the American Journal of Preventive Medication discovered that girls with I/DD expertise roughly double the proportion of sexual violence skilled by nondisabled ladies, and that the prevalence of bodily violence is roughly 3 times larger for ladies with cognitive disabilities and 4 occasions larger for ladies with a number of disabilities when in comparison with nondisabled ladies. Equally, males with disabilities are extra doubtless than males with out disabilities to expertise sexual violence of their lifetime, together with tried or accomplished nonconsensual intercourse.
The influence of sexual violence is distressing for anybody. Nevertheless, as a result of individuals with I/DD expertise a variety of further disparities (e.g., well being, financial, instructional, social) and face boundaries in accessing companies and helps, together with these for survivors of sexual violence, the expertise could also be that rather more traumatic.
Folks with I/DD could also be scared to come back ahead about sexual violence, particularly if perpetrated by a caretaker or authority determine, as a result of it might result in damaging penalties associated to accessing the care that helps their unbiased residing. People with I/DD will not be believed after they make a report or disclose sexual assault due to incorrect assumptions others made about their capabilities. People with I/DD and people with communication disabilities might have hassle understanding or conveying what is occurring to them and could also be unable to obviously talk non-consent. Folks with I/DD additionally usually don’t obtain any intercourse training and, in the event that they do, it may be insufficient. In consequence, individuals with I/DD might have difficulties recognizing that they’re being abused, and due to this fact might not report it when it occurs.
Survivors with I/DD might face further challenges receiving disaster assist companies as a result of many service suppliers lack satisfactory coaching on supporting victims with I/DD, together with coaching on survivor-informed care. In consequence, they don’t have the data and data wanted to plan for serving a various inhabitants with accessibility wants. For instance, rape disaster facilities might not have accessible buildings or companies, resembling having sufferer advocates who can successfully assist individuals with I/DD with completely different communication wants. With out correct planning and protocols in place, they might not know tips on how to assist victims with I/DD reporting abuse.
Sexual Assault Consciousness Month challenges public well being and human companies professionals to each mirror on these boundaries to care and recommits us to our obligation to ship a lifeline to all who want it, together with individuals with I/DD. HHS packages and the Division’s grant recipients are sometimes the primary stops for people in want of help. HHS funded organizations embrace rape disaster facilities, home violence organizations, Facilities for Unbiased Residing, Safety and Advocacy Programs, College Facilities for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, State Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and Group Therapy and Service Facilities, all of which give vital sources that assist victims with I/DD to steer their healthiest and fullest lives.
Constructing and sustaining collaborations between the federal authorities and nationwide and state networks that work on these points is vital to bettering particular person and population-level outcomes. We suggest that well being and human companies professionals enhance their capability to serve survivors with I/DD by:
- Constructing relationships between home violence packages, sexual assault packages, tribes, culturally particular organizations and incapacity organizations to facilitate collaboration and coaching;
- Studying what works for prevention of sexual assault and home violence;
- Offering technical help to make sure packages are compliant with related incapacity legal guidelines and finest practices in sexual violence response companies;
- Creating advocacy and case administration protocols that guarantee designated workers can be found to help survivors with I/DD each time doable;
- Creating trauma-informed services and companies for individuals with disabilities; and
- Involving survivors with lived expertise in designing companies to fulfill their wants.
We’re happy to share an inventory of sexual violence prevention and response sources, a few of that are particular to people with disabilities, to assist your organizations construct these vital collaborations and study extra about this situation. We’ve got organized these sources by suggestion.
We encourage you to make the most of these sources and suggestions to begin conversations inside your organizations about this vital situation.
Thanks for all that you simply do to assist victims of sexual violence and individuals with I/DD not simply this month, however all year long.
Sincerely,
Alison Barkoff
Administration for Group Residing
Jeff Hild
Administration for Kids and Households
Admiral Rachel Levine
Assistant Secretary for Well being