WHO calls for greater attention to violence against women with disabilities, and older women

Older women, and women with disabilities, are subjected to intimate partner and sexual violence, but also face specific risks and additional forms of abuse, sometimes at the hands of caregivers or healthcare professionals, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, adding that this includes coercive and controlling behaviours such as withholding of medicines and assistive devices or other aspects of care, and financial abuse. Calling for better research across countries that will help ensure these women are counted, and that their specific needs are understood and addressed, the health agency maintained that older women, and women with disabilities face particular risk of abuse, yet their situation is largely hidden in most global and national violence-related data. Among women aged 60 years and older, a review conducted by the WHO found that physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence remained the most frequently experienced forms of abuse. “One systematic review found greater risks of intimate partner violence for women with disabilities compared with those without, while another also found higher rates of sexual violence,’’ it said, while recommending several measures to address evidence gaps.