Numbers Don’t Lie – Disability, Autism, Sexual Abuse and Bodily Integrity

This side-event will look into and emphasize the complex and often overlooked intersection between disability and sexual victimization, with a particular focus on how this applies to autistic people. This will draw upon research and community engagement carried out, led by disabled and autistic survivors themselves, and will also be informed by the experiences of key international bodies such as the UN CRPD and CEDAW Committees, policymakers in Spain and Malta and, most importantly, disabled and autistic people with lived experience concerning this subject matter. Challenges and barriers to access to justice for victims and survivors will be tackled, and statistics will be presented, highlighting the increased risk of sexual abuse, coercion and victimization, and exposure to practices such as forced sterilization. The side-event will particularly focus on the relationship between this increased risk, and victims and survivors having intersecting identities and facing intersecting oppressions, such as being women, girls or non-binary people, and/ or persons from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The role of support systems, and addressing prevention through sexual education, including on consent, and advocacy, including self-advocacy, will be discussed. Contributions will draw on best practices developed by and with disabled and autistic people, and factor in characteristics such as co-occurring intellectual disability. A trauma-informed, inclusive space for discussion with participants will then be offered, to exchange best practices, but also make recommendations that could be used by policymakers, civil society activists and, critically, disabled and autistic people themselves. International Sign interpretation and Closed Captioning will be provided.