Child sexual abuse and exploitation is a global problem affecting the lives of millions of children. Even though no child is immune against potential child sexual abuse and violence, there are some groups of children that are at higher risk.
Children with disabilities is a diverse group, but also an invisible group too easy to find for the perpetrators who seek out children who have extra difficulty understanding, defending themselves and expressing what has happened to them. Children with disabilities are twice as likely to be sexually abused as other children. For children with intellectual disabilities or neurodisabilities, the risk is even higher. Few report actual or suspected sexual abuse incidents. Testimonies rarely lead to convictions. Silence and ignorance of the problem mean that perpetrators are less likely to be detected and punished, a situation they deliberately use. Despite this, this is a group that is often forgotten in the fight against sexual abuse. Today, there are no systematic efforts to protect this group from sexual abuse.
There are several reasons why children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable – they live more isolated lives than other children, are often excluded, and they are more dependent on adults and often alone with them for longer periods of time. They are often seen as asexual and as such conversations about relationships, sex and consent are absent, which results in them not understanding if they have been harmed or they themselves unintentional harm other children. They can also be more outgoing and take more risks, which can increase the risk of being abused.
Childhood has for several years initiated and funded initiatives to strengthen protection and reduce the risk of sexual abuse among children with disabilities. Our assessment is that the efforts we have made together in recent years are pioneering work that may be of interest for the wider field. The time is now ripe to analyse and document the challenges and lessons learned from these projects.
Read more and download the Terms of Reference here.
Applications and questions about the assignment can be sent to AK Fagerlund.