Disabled children four times more likely to experience sexual abuse, not-for-profit says
Tasmanian doctors have partnered with support services to tackle an alarming spike in violence against disabled people through a revolutionary program.
Children with disabilities are up to four times more likely to experience sexual abuse, a key Tasmanian not-for-profit agency says as it launches a pilot program for doctors to identify and respond to violence and abuse.
Engender Equality CEO Alina Thomas said as the community last month celebrated people with disability it was timely to start a primary care support program for GPs and their staff to respond to family and sexual violence.
She said Engender Equality had partnered with Laurel House and Sexual Assault Support Services to deliver the Primary Care Family and Sexual Violence (PCFSV) support program.
“On average, at least 28.1 per cent of women who enter a Tasmanian General Practice, every day, will be victim-survivors of family and sexual violence,” Ms Thomas said.
“People with disability who also face communication challenges are at heightened risk of interpersonal violence.
“Studies have also shown that children with disabilities are between two and four times more likely to experience sexual abuse.
“Communication requires that you look for, identify, and remove barriers and actively support people with appropriate devices, communication boards, and your undivided attention.
“While violence being identified by doctors offers the opportunity for early intervention, we must all be vigilant and prepared to respond if we become aware of or suspect anyone is at risk of family or sexual violence.”
Ms Thomas said the pilot program was about capacity building with GPs and Aboriginal Health Services.
“This includes helping build their awareness of recognising the signs, asking the questions, validating the experiences of victim-survivors and identifying safety and support options for people.
“We need to promote the importance of trauma informed care and understand how gender, trauma and disability intersect and impact how people with disability will respond to and disclose sexual violence.
“Children may need access to communication adaptation – like communication boards, simplified language, or visual aids – essential for understanding non verbal or speech impaired children.
“Without these tools, disclosures may not be heard or believed.
“GPs may lack clear, disability specific procedural guidelines for responding to disclosure, especially regarding mandatory reporting, evidence gathering, and trauma sensitive referrals.
“This lack of clarity can stall an adequate response to a disclosure as well as timely intervention.”
Ms Thomas said the program would include about 140 General Practices and there had been “a very positive response” from clinics.
Dr Samantha Goss, a specialist GP at The Bubble in Hobart, said the Engender Equality program would “help increase our own support to then provide support for our patients”.
“It provides more access to discuss cases with specialist domestic violence services, particularly those where there are red flags for severe violence, legal issues and collaborating with police, legal and counselling services,” she said.
“As GPs we see a large proportion of abuse and violence in the community.
“Intimate partner violence is the third leading risk factor for total disease burden in women aged 25-44 and this the biggest age cohort I see in my practice as a female GP.
“As education around abuse and violence is increasing, we are identifying this more frequently and finding that the support services available are overloaded. This means that we might need to provide increased support following identification of abuse and violence.”
The pilot is funded by Primary Health Tasmania through the Australian Government’s Primary Health Networks Program until June 2026.
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Originally published as Disabled children four times more likely to experience sexual abuse, not-for-profit says
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