Presentation by Dr. Rao at the 2021 Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence, December 7, 2021.

1. Reporting Gender Violence in the
context of People with Disabilities
Dr. Aiswarya Rao

2. Types of gender violence
• Physical violence/Verbal violence
• Sexual violence
• Socio-economic violence
• Domestic violence or in intimate relationships
• Psychological violence
• 80% of all WwD are victims of violence
4 - 10 times more sexual violence than women without disability
(corroborated across countries and cultures)

3. AP Tourism
Nellore –
27 June
2020

4. Structural, gender-based power differentials
• There are at least 3 power differentials here:
• 1. Man vs Woman
• 2. Deputy Manager vs Contract Employee
• 3. Non-disabled man vs Woman with Disability
Women with Disabilities are at high risk for multiple forms of violence
Children are highly vulnerable

5. Chennai,
July 2018

6. What to Write
Be accurate and
use the right
language
1
Give the survivor
a voice and don’t
victim blame
2
Talk to the
experts
3
Educate the
public
4
Include
information on
where survivors
can get assistance
5

7. Child with
disability…fact
missed in reporting

8. What not to write
Sensationalize Victim blaming
Survivor’s name
without consent
Object of
pity/Stereotype
#disabilityvoyuerism

9. Same story,
different
channel…

10. Hyderabad,
June 2018

11. #disabilityvoyuerism

12. The questions you must remember to ask…
How can I raise awareness?
Is the portrayal consistent with a respect for the person?
Accurately naming the disability - vulnerability
Link story to larger overarching issue/broad theme or inform current policy initiatives
Solutions/Strategies and follow-up/monitor progress

13. Kanchipuram, 10 Dec 2019

14. Kerala,
May 2020

15. Words and phrases to use and not use
Impairment, Special Need, Deficit Disability
Wheelchair-bound, Confined to a wheelchair
Handicapped, Differently abled, Lame,
Crip/Cripple/Gimp (when used by someone non-
disabled), Spastic, Spaz, Physically challenged,
Handicapable, Wheelz/Speed Racer/Speedy, Making
speed limit/racer jokes
Wheelchair user, Disabled (preferred by most
activists), People with Disabilities or PWDs,
Cripple/Crip/Gimp (if someone self identifies this
way), has (insert disability), Physically disabled
Retarded, Feeble-minded, Slow/Delayed,
Developmental delay, Mentally deficient, Stupid,
Dumb, Dimwitted, Idiot
Person with a Developmental Disability, Person with
an Intellectual Disability, Person with Down Syndrome,
Intellectually or Developmentally Disabled
Psychotic, Mad, Crazy, Demented, Mental, Loony,
Nutjob, Nutso, Whacko, Psychopath, Crazed, Psycho,
Deranged, Lunatic
Psychiatric disability/diagnosis, Person with mental
health issues, psychosocial disability, person with
[specific diagnosis/disability]
Person with autism Autistic, Neurodivergent
Patient (do not use in general disability discussion) Refer to them by name or identity choice
Midget Dwarf, little person
Vegetable Person, human being, in a vegetative state

16. Words and phrases to use and not use…cont.
Nuthouse, Loony Bin Asylum, Institution
Normal, Whole, Able-Bodied, Healthy Nondisabled, Neurotypical (for non-Autistic)
Deaf-and-Dumb, Hearing Impaired Deaf or Hard of Hearing (HoH)
Mute Doesn’t communicate verbally, doesn’t speak verbally
high functioning or low functioning
Most autistic people say they have moments of both
and prefer no functioning labels
Visually Impaired (some people with low vision still
use this term)
Blind or low vision
Special needs Accommodations, modifications
Epileptic fit Seizure
Sufferers, suffers from, afflicted Stricken with Has [disability]
Victim Survivor (unless a victim of murder)

17. It is better to be dead
than disabled

18. Missing persons • In 2018 alone 3.5 lakh persons
were reported missing in India.
We do not know how many got
back home. The NCRB does not
give that data in their report.
More than 35% of missing
women are trafficked it says.
• One unique group that is prone
for getting lost and therefore
missing are persons with
speech and hearing
impairment. Especially if they
have little or no reading and
writing skills, they tend to
remain lost - their identity is
also lost for ever. They are
paperless, homeless, nameless
and stateless.

19. Arakonam, August 2021

20. Laws and Conventions governing GBV and
media reporting in the context of PwD
UNCRPD RPWD Act 2016
The National Trust for the
Welfare of Persons with
Autism, Cerebral Palsy,
Mental Retardation and
Multiple Disabilities Act,
1999
The Mental Healthcare Act,
2017
The Rehabilitation Council of
India Act, 1992
All the laws of the land are
equally applicable