Public hearing 17 of the Disability Royal Commission will focus on the experience of women and girls with disabilities with a particular focus on family, domestic and sexual violence. This will be the first hearing of the Royal Commission to focus on the experiences of women and girls with disabilities.
Content Warning
Some of the stories and information below may contain details about abuse, neglect and mistreatment of people with disabilities. You can find help if you have any concerns because of this information.
How can I attend?
The Royal Commission will commence this hearing with a two day online hearing on 13 and 14 October 2021.
This hearing was scheduled to be held in person in Hobart commencing on 13 October for 5 days. With the ongoing COVID -19 situation and travel restrictions, the Royal Commission will commence this hearing with a two day online hearing on 13 and 14 October 2021. The second part of the hearing will resume in person in Hobart in early 2022, to hear directly from women and girls with disabilities who wish to tell the Royal Commission about their personal experiences.
The live stream will include Auslan, captions and audio-only options.
What is it about?
The scope and purpose of this hearing are to inquire into:
- The nature and extent of violence and abuse of women and girls with disabilities in family and domestic settings
- The nature and extent of violence and abuse of people with disabilities who identify as L(G)BTQIA+ in family and domestic settings
- Issues concerning the respect for the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls with disability
- The nature and extent of services to support women and girls with disabilities who experience violence and abuse in family and domestic settings, including gaps in specific services to support people with disability
- The role of advocates and support for women and girls with disabilities and people with disabilities who identify of the L(G)BTQIA+ community who experience sexual violence and abuse in relationships, family and domestic settings
- The gaps in the legal protection for people with disabilities who experience violence and abuse in relationships, family and domestic settings
On 14 October 2021, Commissioners will also hear about the experiences of people with disabilities who identify as being members of the lesbian, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, intersex, queer, asexual and questioning (L(G)BTIQA+) community who will participate in a session. This session will be closed to the public and will not be streamed on our website.
This live stream/recording has closed captions and Auslan translations. There is an audio-only stream option.
Witness List
Official Transcripts
Will be added when available.
Media coverage
Female abuse victims disbelieved and ignored, disability royal commission hears
SBS 13 October 2021
Women and girls with disability are far more likely to suffer physical and sexual abuse but are frequently disbelieved when they ask for help to stop it, the disability royal commission has been told.
"In one submission, a woman with disability told you she was assaulted by a fellow resident but left with no choice but to continue living with the perpetrator when the managers of the group home did not believe her, and refused to take any action."
'Easily dismissed', Women with disability disproportionately affected by domestic violence.
The Sydney Morning Herald 13 October 2021
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability heard on Wednesday there were few domestic violence services accessible to these women and the current one-size-fits-all model of support did not work for many.
For decades, we’ve been hearing stories from women telling us how the perpetrator of the violence – whether it’s a partner, a parent or a disability support worker – is seen as having so much more credibility than they themselves are, they are easily dismissed as being crazy, attention-seeking,”
Jen Hargrave, Senior Policy Officer with Women with Disabilities Victoria.
Abuse victims ignored: Disability inquiry
The Armidale Express 13 October 2021
The long-running inquiry has resumed public hearings and is delving into the confronting issue of the abuse of women and girls with all forms of disability, in all settings, including foster and respite care, special schools, and group homes.
"You should almost assume that somebody with a disability has been sexually assaulted, which is just appalling to think about,"
Kathryn Fordyce, CEO of Laurel House
She spoke of the unique set of barriers people with disability can face in even understanding they have been abused.
Ms Fordyce said educational aids were sometimes censored, denying people the ability to describe what might be happening to them.
Support Services
Your Story Disability Legal Support is a free, independent legal service supporting people with disabilities to safely share their stories with the Disability Royal Commission.
The Disability Royal Commission has set up support services for people with disabilities affected by or interacting with the Commission process. These supports include counselling, advocacy, financial and legal help. For more information and links read our resource on Royal Commission Support Services.
The National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline is a free, independent and confidential service for reporting mistreatment of people with disabilities.
More Information
All our coverage of the Disability Royal Commission is here: Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, otherwise please choose from the list of past hearings below.
