I think they're focusing on the wrong problem here...

[mahogany]

I was reading this article on how mentally disabled people aren't really able to testify, and thus help prosecute their attackers, and all I can really think about is this line:

During their lifetimes, research suggests, 83 per cent of women with disabilities are sexually abused; 80 per cent of female psychiatric in-patients will be physically or sexually assaulted.


What??? How is it that this is still allowed to happen? What is someone with a mentally ill relative that is either a danger to herself or others supposed to do? Have her committed, so she can be raped? Clearly, we need female only hospitals staffed exclusively by females.

Evidence rules leave disabled Canadian girls open to sex abuse

Comments

[mahogany.livejournal.com]

How then, does one start to advocate for these women, and for change? These are people without clout; without any social currency. Add to it all of the stigma and misinformation surrounding mental disabilities and mental illness, and what's left a massive uphill battle.

This was actually on the front page (near the bottom, but still on the front page) of the Sun, yesterday. It gained media attention...sort of...

And yet, where is the outcry?

[blaueteufelin.livejournal.com]

Violence against women is tolerated and violence against the disabled is, too :/

You might be interested in checking out http://disabledfeminists.com/. It's no longer being updated but it's a good source of information and activism around disability rights, and has got links to other similar blogs/groups too.

[mahogany.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that site. It's really comprehensive. I've bookmarked it for further reading.