Women and girls with disabilities who have survived sexual violence find it difficult to access legal justice in India, says a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The report says that even in cases of extreme violence, trauma and economic hardship (including due to childbirth following rape), women and girls with disabilities had difficulties in securing compensation.
"Since 2013, India has made important legal reforms on sexual violence, but women and girls with disabilities still lack equal access to justice," said report co-author Nidhi Goyal, who is also an activist for the rights of the disabled.
The 61-page report, titled "Invisible Victims of Sexual Violence: Access to Justice for Women and Girls with Disabilities in India," details the challenges many women and girls with disabilities face throughout the justice process: reporting abuse to the police, obtaining appropriate medical care, having complaints investigated, navigating the court system and getting adequate compensation.
For the report, HRW investigated 17 cases of rape and gang-rape from eight states: Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
The victims include eight girls and nine women living with a spectrum of disabilities, including physical, sensory, intellectual and psychosocial disability.
Around 111 people were interviewed, including victims of sexual violence, family members, lawyers, officials from mental health institutions and shelter facilities, police, government officials, disability rights activists and "special educators", the report said.
The report suggested that Indian women with physical disabilities may find it more difficult to escape from violent situations.
"Those who are deaf may not be able to call for help or easily communicate abuse. Women and girls with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities may not know that non-consensual sexual acts are a crime and should be reported. Stigma related to their sexuality and disability compounds these challenges," it mentioned.
According to the report, access to sign-language interpretation, the presence of someone to facilitate communication (a "special educator"), use of simple language, and the option to file reports in braille are needed to improve interaction with the police and the judicial process, women and girls with disabilities.
--IANS
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