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 help for individuals with mental and/or developmental disabilities who expertise sexual violence – and to forestall it from occurring.
The letter and the listing of suggestions it references had been despatched to HHS-funded applications, together with rape disaster facilities, behavioral well being applications, violence in opposition to girls well being program initiatives, and those 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 Dwelling, the Workplace of the Assistant Secretary for Well being, and the Administration for Kids and Households are issuing this informational memo about sexual violence in opposition to 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 larger threat for sexual assault and offers steerage and assets that assist advocates and different care suppliers acknowledge sexual violence and enhance providers for survivors.
In response to the CDC’s Nationwide Intimate Associate and Sexual Violence Survey, over half of girls and virtually a 3rd of males have or will expertise a type of undesirable sexual contact of their lifetimes. Whereas statistics fluctuate, a better prevalence of sexual violence in opposition to 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 current examine from the American Journal of Preventive Medication discovered that girls with I/DD expertise roughly double the proportion of sexual violence skilled by nondisabled girls, and that the prevalence of bodily violence is roughly 3 times greater for girls with cognitive disabilities and 4 instances greater for girls with a number of disabilities when in comparison with nondisabled girls. Equally, males with disabilities are extra probably 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. Nonetheless, as a result of individuals with I/DD expertise a variety of extra disparities (e.g., well being, financial, instructional, social) and face limitations in accessing providers and helps, together with these for survivors of sexual violence, the expertise could also be that rather more traumatic.
Individuals 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 may result in adverse penalties associated to accessing the care that helps their unbiased residing. People with I/DD is probably not believed once 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 could have hassle understanding or conveying what is going on to them and could also be unable to obviously talk non-consent. Individuals with I/DD additionally usually don’t obtain any intercourse training and, in the event that they do, it may be insufficient. Consequently, individuals with I/DD could have difficulties recognizing that they’re being abused, and due to this fact could not report it when it occurs.
Survivors with I/DD could face extra challenges receiving disaster help providers as a result of many service suppliers lack sufficient coaching on supporting victims with I/DD, together with coaching on survivor-informed care. Consequently, they don’t have the knowledge and data wanted to plan for serving a various inhabitants with accessibility wants. For instance, rape disaster facilities could not have accessible buildings or providers, equivalent to having sufferer advocates who can successfully help individuals with I/DD with completely different communication wants. With out correct planning and protocols in place, they could not know tips on how to help victims with I/DD reporting abuse.
Sexual Assault Consciousness Month challenges public well being and human providers professionals to each replicate on these limitations to care and recommits us to our obligation to ship a lifeline to all who want it, together with individuals with I/DD. HHS applications and the Division’s grant recipients are sometimes the primary stops for people in want of help. HHS funded organizations embody rape disaster facilities, home violence organizations, Facilities for Impartial Dwelling, Safety and Advocacy Programs, College Facilities for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, State Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and Group Remedy and Service Facilities, all of which give important assets 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 important to bettering particular person and population-level outcomes. We advocate that well being and human providers professionals enhance their capability to serve survivors with I/DD by:
- Constructing relationships between home violence applications, sexual assault applications, 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 applications are compliant with related incapacity legal guidelines and finest practices in sexual violence response providers;
- Growing advocacy and case administration protocols that guarantee designated employees can be found to help survivors with I/DD each time doable;
- Growing trauma-informed amenities and providers for individuals with disabilities; and
- Involving survivors with lived expertise in designing providers to fulfill their wants.
We’re happy to share a listing of sexual violence prevention and response assets, a few of that are particular to people with disabilities, to assist your organizations construct these important collaborations and be taught extra about this problem. We now have organized these assets by suggestion.
We encourage you to make the most of these assets and suggestions to start out conversations inside your organizations about this important problem.
Thanks for all that you just do to help victims of sexual violence and individuals with I/DD not simply this month, however all year long.
Sincerely,
Alison Barkoff
Administration for Group Dwelling
Jeff Hild
Administration for Kids and Households
Admiral Rachel Levine
Assistant Secretary for Well being