About one-third of young children and teenagers with disabilities faced emotional and physical abuse, while 20% experience neglect and one in 10 sexual violence, according to international research.
Analysis involving more than 16 million young people from 25 countries conducted between 1990 and 2020, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal, shows that 31.7% of children with disabilities have experienced violence. They are twice as likely to face neglect and/or sexual, physical or mental abuse than children with no disabilities. They are also far more likely to be bullied by their peers.
