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Description
Sexual Abuse of People with Mental Disability is a real problem that is shocking but quickly forgotten. The World Health Organization reports (2017) that people with disabilities are four times more likely to be victims than the general population.
In addition, research on the phenomenon is limited. “To Ergastiri”, in collaboration with “ESTIA” and “Theotokos”, organizations with long experience in providing services and support for the disabled as well as in adult education, held a series of focus group discussions with representatives of stakeholders to determine the extent of the problem that remains unknown. Mainly because the perpetrators are people from the victim’s family and friendly environment, abuse is not reported and, when people with disabilities decide to talk, they are often not trusted by the authorities.
The consortium will seek to contribute to the fight against sexual abuse of people with mental disabilities by piloting a project aimed at educating and informing the Public Aid Services, the Police Authorities and the people themselves.
The pilot application will last one year and will be conducted in the municipalities of Fili, Metamorfosi, Peristeri, Ilio, Acharnes, Ag. Anargyron – Kamaterou, N. Philadelphia – N. Chalkidona, Filothei – Psychiko.
The project will effectively train 150 disabled beneficiaries in identifying and reporting sexual abuse, along with one member of their family; Furthermore, it will effectively train health professionals in the recognition of such incidents and on the provision of appropriate assistance. It will inform and strengthen the sensitization of police officers regarding the phenomenon. Also, the consortium, which consists of “To Ergastiri”, in collaboration with “ESTIA” and “Theotokos”, will create a toolkit of good practices and educational solutions, successfully implemented in Greece or abroad.
Summary of project results
Sexual Abuse of People with Mental Disability is a real problem that is shocking but quickly forgotten. The World Health Organization reports (2017) that people with disabilities are four times more likely to be victims than the general population. In addition, research on the phenomenon is limited. “To Ergastiri”, in collaboration with “ESTIA” and “Theotokos”, organizations with long experience in providing services and support for the disabled as well as in adult education, held a series of meetings of focus teams with representatives of stakeholders to determine that the true extent of the problem remains unknown. Mainly because the perpetrators are people from the victim’s family and friendly environment, abuse is not reported and when people with disabilities decide to talk about their abuse, they are often not trusted by the authorities. The consortium aimed to contribute to the fight against sexual abuse in people with mental disabilities by piloting a project aimed at educating and informing the Public Aid Services, the Police Authorities and the disabled themselves.
The project team conducted extensive desk research to identify and gather best practices and educational solutions from both Greece and abroad. This focused on issues related to addressing and preventing sexual harassment and abuse for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), considering the diverse requirements of the social environment. The desk research resulted in the development of a toolkit of good practices, serving as a comprehensive map of the theoretical framework and practices implemented by public and private entities, as well as civil society, pertaining to the project''s theme.
Subsequently, focus groups were organized with the participation of all stakeholders, including PWDs, parents, caregivers, Direct Support Professionals (DTS), and police officers. The primary goal was to raise awareness, provide information on the issue, and facilitate dialogue among the participants. Building on the insights from the previous phase, original training guides were created specifically for use in subsequent training sessions targeting the main groups involved. Special attention was given to the development of an educational guide tailored for PWDs, utilizing the Easy to Read technique for accessibility.
The project team then delivered training sessions for the main target groups, including DTS Professionals, Family and Caregivers, Municipal social workers, Police officers, and Persons with Intellectual Disability. The materials created within the project were employed during these training sessions.
Following the training, an evaluation of the project''s impact was attempted through the use of questionnaires. This evaluation aimed to assess the project''s European added value, considering the perspectives and feedback gathered from the participants during the training sessions.
The project contributed to addressing the challenge, recognizing, and denouncing the phenomenon of sexual harassment/abuse by the parties involved. The benefits gained by the target groups include:
Effective training in sex education and recognition of sexual harassment by people with intellectual disabilities themselves.
Effective training in the recognition and reporting of the phenomenon by members of the family environment of persons with disabilities, as well as by the diagnostic and therapeutic service professionals (DTS) of our consortium''s actors.
Awareness raising and information on the prevention and recognition of this phenomenon for social assistance professionals in participating municipalities and representatives of local police authorities.