A/66/227 they are addressed, incidents of violence continue to be considered separately, by different professionals, and through the lens of disconnected disciplines, creating the risk of revictimization. 39. Children with special vulnerabilities have particular difficulties in gaining access to counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms. In the light of the thematic debate in the General Assembly on the rights of children with disabilities, the Special Representative takes this opportunity to highlight the special challenges faced by these children. 40. The lives of children with disabilities are fraught with stigma, discrimination, cultural prejudices, misperceptions and invisibility. Their capacity and their positive potential are often ignored. Their existence is often marked by neglect, violence, injury and exploitation. In spite of the limited amount of data and research in this area, available studies reveal an alarming level of risk for violence against children with disabilities, ranging from high vulnerability to physical and emotional violence when they are young to greater risks of sexual violence as they reach puberty. 41. Disability is still perceived largely as a curse, a source of shame for the family and a misfortune for the community. At times, it is believed to be the result of witchcraft or possession by evil spirits; the child’s liberation is thought to be achieved through starvation, exposure to extreme heat or cold or to fire, or severe beatings. 42. When used as beggars, children with disabilities are subject to violence to keep them on the streets, and often suffer physical abuse to attract attention and encourage charity. In schools that are often of low quality, they endure beatings, bullying, neglect and abuse by their peers and by ill-prepared teachers who fail to understand and attend to their special needs. For children placed in institutions with ill-trained, ill-paid and often frustrated staff, in an environment of stigmatizing attitudes in the community, there are increased risks of physical violence and of verbal and emotional abuse. 43. For the families of children with disabilities, heavy demands and high stress, lack of support and services, and a deep sense of isolation aggravate the risk of violence within the household. Some families respond with neglect rather than with active violence. Others shield the child from contact with the outside world, including to protect him or her from abuse and stigmatization, sometimes in appalling conditions (such as windowless rooms or hot courtyards). Still others arrange for a “mercy killing” to put an end to the child’s perceived suffering, at times as a result of pressure from or upon the advice of other family members or influential actors in the community. 44. Children with disabilities are less able than other children to escape the threat of violence or to report the abuses that they have endured. These difficulties become insurmountable when their only point of reference is the abuser, be it a family member, a neighbour or a professional worker on whom they depend. They may be unwilling to complain, fearing that if they do so they will lose the support of caregivers and the attention and affection of those on whom they have come to rely. Access to counselling, reporting and complaint services may be physically difficult to gain. 10 11-44118