About one-third of children and adolescents in the world with a disability have experienced violence at some point in their lives, according to a new international studywhich shows that these children are twice as likely to be physically, emotionally, sexually or otherwise abused as children without disabilities.
Also, children with disabilities experience higher rates of bullying and cyberbullying, with 38% experiencing this from classmates or peers (beatings, insults, threats, social isolation, etc.). Particularly vulnerable to violence are children with cognitive or learning disabilities, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Researchers from the United Kingdom (Oxford and Leeds Universities), the United States (Columbia University, New York) and China (Peking Normal University), led by Professor Jane Barlow of Oxford, published the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health stressed that governments and professionals need to redouble their efforts to put an end to the “alarmingly high” levels of violence against children with disabilities.
The study (systematic review and meta-analysis), the most comprehensive of its kind to date, evaluated data from 98 surveys of nearly 17 million people aged 0-18 conducted from 1990 to 2020 in 25 countries.
It was found that the frequency of violence is slightly higher for children with mental retardation (34%) and cognitive or learning difficulties (33%), compared to those with a disability related to some of their senses (27%), physical-motor disability (26%) or chronic disease (21%). The two most common forms of violence are emotional and physical (about one-third of children), with one in five children with disabilities feeling neglected or abandoned and one in ten experiencing sexual violence.
“Our findings reveal unacceptable and worrying levels of violence against children with disabilities, which cannot be ignored. “All children have the right to be protected from violence, which has long-term social, economic and health consequences, including more frequent drop-outs, worse employment prospects and a higher risk of mental illness and chronic illness later in life,” she said. Dr. Barlow.
An estimated 291 million children and adolescents – 11% of the world’s population under the age of 18 – have mental retardation, vision or hearing loss, epilepsy, etc., and many more have other physical and mental disabilities, often carrying the stigma. and discrimination against them, a situation that worsens in the event of poverty and social isolation. Compared to high-income countries in Europe and the US, children with disabilities in the poorest countries of Africa, the Middle East and South America experience higher rates of violence due to a weak support network, less legal protection, more intense prejudice and a tendency to stigmatize and greater tolerance of society for violence in general.
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