Women with disabilities face higher rates of violence and greater barriers to justice than their non-disabled peers. Recent reports highlight the scale and the gaps.
By Wendy Dondolo – Pretoria News
Key facts
- 51% of women in South Africa have experienced gender-based violence; 76% of men admit to perpetration (CSVR).
- Lifetime physical abuse: 29.3% for women with disabilities vs 21.7% without; sexual violence: 14.6% vs 7.2%. Risk rises with severity of disability.
- Femicide rate: 12.1 per 100 000 women—about five times the global average of 2.6 (WHO).
Justice and support
- 63 Thuthuzela Care Centres provide integrated medical, psychosocial and legal support; cases reported via TCCs show a 78% conviction rate, with 221 life sentences in the last financial year. Trust remains low due to secondary victimisation, missing dockets and case backlogs.
- Government plans include expanding sexual-offences courts and publishing Africa’s first Femicide Watch.
What needs to happen for disability inclusion
- Accessible reporting and case-tracking (physical, digital and sign-language access).
- Disability-competent training for police, prosecutors and health workers.
- Survivor-centred care that integrates mental-health services.
- Community programmes that address poverty, stigma and harmful norms fueling abuse.
