A/67/227 One report notes that the proportion of child prostitutes who had mild developmental disabilities was six times greater than what might be expected from the incidence in the general population. 41 D. Causes and consequences 59. The causes of violence against women with disabilities originate in social norms about the nature and type of disability and gender roles. 42 Women with disabilities face many barriers to escaping, resisting, preventing or obtaining redress for violence. Such barriers include, but are not limited to, emotional and financial dependency on the abuser; unwillingness to be stigmatized; fears regarding child custody or single-parenthood; inaccessibility or unavailability of violence prevention programmes and facilities; fear or loss of assistive devices and other supports; concerns about being believed when disclosing the abuse; and reluctance to take any action that may escalate the violence. Also when they seek assistance from police or other members of the community, their complaints may not be taken seriously or may be disbelieved, due to stigma and stereotyping. 60. Persons with physical disabilities may be more dependent on attendant care and more dependent on the abuser, physically, emotionally or financially, for care than other groups (see A/61/122/Add.1 and Corr.1). In addition, persons with disabilities are traditionally and incorrectly seen by society to be asexual. 43 This can lead to greater levels of sexual violence as they are less likely to be believed when they report such violations. Some women with disabilities may be unable to defend themselves, lack access to self-defence training or be unable to physically flee the site of violence. 44 They may therefore become particularly “easy” targets for perpetrators of violence. 45 61. Women with disabilities face specific discrimination and targeted violence primarily because of their disability status, owing to bias among individuals and communities. For example, in some cultural and religious traditions disability is viewed as a symbol of “evil” or “sin” committed by the person or family members, thus justifying violence. 46 __________________ 41 42 43 44 45 46 12-45120 UNICEF, “Violence against disabled children”, United Nations Secretary-General’s report on violence against children, Thematic Group on Violence against Disabled Children; findings and recommendations (2005). Available from http://www.unicef.org. Stephanie Ortoleva, “Recommendations for action to advance the rights of women and girls with disabilities in the United Nations system” (2011). S. Nemeth, “Society, sexuality, and disabled/ablebodied romantic relationships”, in Handbook of Communication and People with Disabilities, D. O. Braithwaite and T. L. Thompson, eds. (Mahwah, New Jersey, United States, Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000). Leslie Myers, “People with disabilities and abuse” (Independent Living Research Utilization). Available from http://www.ilru.org; Astrid Aafjes, “Empowering girls and women through sport and physical activity” (Women Win). J. C. Chang and others, “Helping women with disabilities and domestic violence: strategies, limitations, and challenges of domestic violence programs and services”, Journal of Women’s Health (2003); C. A. Howland et. al, “Programs delivering abuse intervention services to women with disabilities (Houston, Texas, United States, Center for Research on Women with Disabilities, 2001). Lisa Alvares and others, “Reproductive health justice for women with disabilities”, Center for Women Policy Studies (2011). 15