Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
Issue 28
Topic of the issue: STOP violence against women with intellectual disabilities !
Editorial Dear self-advocates, we often talk about violence at our meetings. It is important that we discuss this topic because violence often happens around us. Some self-advocates have their own experience with violence. We wrote on the topic of violence in our newsletter The Voice of Self-Advocates in the fall of 2015. We noticed that women are at greater risk to become victims of violence. Because of that we decided to write again about the topic of violence. This time we will write about violence against women. In this newsletter you can read more about the project which researched violence against women. You will find out what women who experienced violence told us. Dear female self-advocates I know this topic is very difficult and sensitive. I hope after reading this newsletter you will get the courage to talk about this important topic too. Just remember you are not alone and you can always turn to us for help.
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Editor Senada Halilčević Journalist Hrvoje Forner Tomislav Ivašković Snježana Kanjir PhD Katarina Sokić Assistants Kristina Klišanin Ivana Poslon Hrvoj Damjan Janjušević Pictograms and symbols: © Widgit Software tel: +44 1223 425558, web: www.widgit.com Pictograms used for making the magazine front cover have been downloaded at: www.flaticon.com Authors of the pictograms: Tomas Knop, Dot on Paper and Freepik This newsletter was published with the financial support of the city of Zagreb. Association for Self-Advocacy is solely responsible for the content of this newsletter.
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What is violence? Some self-advocates find it difficult to recognize the violence. Violence is when somebody intentionally hurts you and it makes you feel bad. Violence can happen everywhere around us. For example, violence can occur: • • • • •
on the street at work in an institution in home in family.
A victim of violence is a person who suffers violence. Victims of violence often feel fear and shame. They feel helpless and lonely. It is difficult for them to talk about the violence they experience. They are afraid that other will not believe them. The person who is doing violence is called the abuser. The abuser my be someone you don’t even know. But it often happens abusers are people we know. For example, abusers can be: • • • • • •
parents your boyfriend or your girlfriend other family members people you consider friends experts people who supports you.
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Sometimes it is difficult to recognise the abusers. The abusers often pretend to be good and decent. Other people perceive them as respectable persons. The abusers know how to manipulate a victim very well. For example, they can tell you: • You provoke me with your behaviour! You deserve it. • No one will believe you! • You imagined all this and you panic. But that is not true! The abuser says it because he or she wants to scare and humiliate you. You are not guilty of the violence that is happening to you. Abusers always choose persons who are weaker than they are. Victims find it difficult to defend themselves and ask for help. Persons with intellectual disabilities are more often victims of violence. It is difficult for them to protect themselves from violence. The are often victims of violence because they: • are deprived of legal capacity • do not know how to protect themselves from violence • do not have enough support.
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Legal protection against violence in Croatia - PhD Katarina Sokić Violence against women is prohibited by law and international regulations. Every woman has the right to a life without violence. Violence is always punishable. Every woman who is a victim of violence has the following rights: • the right to get assistance from police, judicial and psychological assistance • the right to get lawyer free of charge • the right to choose to be questioned by a female police • the right to get physical protection • the right to protect dignity during questioning before the court and the police • the right to be accompanied by a person she trusts when taking all the action in which she participated • the right to be informed of anything that is happening in the proceedings against the abuser • the right to the confidentiality of information • the right to avoid contact with the abuser • the right to get temporary accommodation in an appropriate institution, like a safe house.
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Following persons are obliged to report violence against women: • • • •
health care professionals professionals in social care institutions persons employed in education institutions persons employed in religious institutions, charities or civil society organizations • all other professionals who in their work come into contact with the victims of violence. The abuser can be punished with: • • • • • •
prison money fine prohibition of approaching the victim prohibition of harassment of stalking of the victim removal from a shared household compulsory treatment for alcohol or drug addiction.
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities the state has obligation to protect persons with disabilities from exploitation, violence and abuse. Article 6 of the Convention says: States recognize that women with disabilities are in particularly difficult position. That is why State will take special care of equality of women with disabilities in society.
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This means women with intellectual disabilities should have equal opportunities for: • education and employment • equality before law • receiving information • participation in politics • making decisions about her life • having a family • deciding where and with whom to live • sexual and reproductive health care services.
Convertations with women who were victims of violence In cooperation with Inclusion Europe Association for Self-Advocacy is implementing the project Empowerment of Women with Intellectual Disabilities. At the beginning the project was implemented in Netherlands. Researches talked to women with intellectual disabilities about violence they experienced. Researchers heard some terrible stories and concluded it is important to keep talking about violence. For this reason, violence was also discussed with women from: • • • • •
Austria Italy Rumania Lithuania Croatia.
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At the end of the project Inclusion Europe will write big report on the experience of women from these 5 countries Below you can read what 7 women from Croatia, who experienced violence told us. Women experienced violence: • • • •
in their families in foster families in institutions in a community housing program.
They experienced different types of violence. Physical violence The women said they experienced physical violence. Physical violence is when someone uses their physical strength to hurt you. One woman told us that staff from the institution hit women accross the body and face. Other woman said staff hit her head on the wall when she was a child. Another women told us her support person tried to hit her because she refused to go to sea side with other residents from institution. Some women said their parents beat them while they were living in their family. Physical violence also occurred in foster families. One women remembered when the daughter of her foster carer attacked her.
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The woman returned home after hanging out with friends, but could not enter because the door was locked. She went to her friend’s house and returned home in the morning. Daughter of her foster carer started to yell at her, pull her by the hair and toss her to the floor. The women said they were also physically assaulted by other persons with disabilities with whom they lived and worked. Medicine without consent and information Women said that persons with disabilities were often given strong medicines without their knowledge and consent. This happens in institution and organized housing. Women said there were no need for giving this medicine. This is to reduce the cost of support staff. Giving strong and unnecessary medicines without consent and information is also a form of violence. Sexual violence The women told us that they had also experienced sexual violence. Sexual violence is when someone forces you to engage in sexual behavior that you don’t want. For example, if someone without your consent: • forces sexual intercourse • touches the intimate parts of your body • tells you inappropriate sexual comments One woman experienced sexual violence in a workshop.
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Sexual violence also occurred in the institution. One woman said one member of the staff raped older women with disabilities who lived there. The women complained and asked for help, but they called them liars and punished them physically. That man was never punished. Women were also victims of sexual violence from other men who lived in institution. We also heard a story how in institutions contraception devices were implanted to women without their knowledge and consent. Contraception prevents a woman from becoming pregnant. Staff did not care about the sexual health of women. Sometimes their lives were in danger because of that. Women said they were victims of sexual violence after they left institutions and start to live in the community as well. Psychological violence Women were victims of psychological violence. Psychological violence is when somebody behaves badly towards you so you feel scared and threatened. Psychological violence is when somebody: • • • •
yells at you mocks you tries to scare you harasses you.
One women said she was not allowed to call her parents while living in an institution. This was also happening to a woman in foster family.
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Foster carer forbade her to use cellphones and Internet. She felt lonely and isolated because of this. The staff of the institution were also destroying letters and pictures sent by their family. Psychological violence is also when someone humiliates you. For example, one woman said they used to shave their head as a punishment in the institution. Psychological violence is also when you are forced to watch the violence towards another person. This happened to a woman who lived in a foster family. Isolation and taking away the right to freedom In the conversation we heard that locking into rooms was often used as a punishment in institutions. One woman talked about how her guardian took her to an institution without her consent. Economic violence Almost all the women we spoke to were victims of economic violence. Economic violence is when someone takes your money and property or forbids you to use them. For example, economic violence is when someone: • • • •
controls and decides how you spend your money doesn’t give you support in handling money takes away your belongings and property forbids you from using your property.
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Parents, foster carers and support persons were taking money from women. So they had to hide it or spend it quickly. They also had to hide their belongings and gifts they received. One woman said that the staff in the institution took away her rewards which she won at a sports competition. We also heard a story how a woman was forced by her foster carer to steal soaps, toilet paper and other hygiene supplies. Foster carer received money for such things, but she spent all the money on herself. One woman told us how she lost her apartment. Her guardian took her to the institution and decided to sell her apartment. She never received any money from the sale of the apartment. Exploitation and forced labour The women told us how they were forced to work in the institution. They worked in the kitchen and laundry room. They had to work very hard, but they never received a salary for that work. They also had to take care of other residents in the institution. For example, they had to wash and dress immobile residents. They also had to wash and dress deceased residents. This was very humiliating for them. The women told us they were forced to work in foster families. One woman had to clean and look after the foster carer’s grandson. She also had to take care of her younger brother because they were often left alone in the house.
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Another woman told us how her foster carers threatened that she will sleep in the barn if she doesn’t do her work. She was forced to carry heavy hay. She never received any money for her work. Neglect and denial of support Neglect is when you don’t get the support that you need to meet your needs. The women told us how the staff would neglect their health. For example, the women did not get support for going to the doctor when they were sick. One woman remembered how their broken teeth were never treated in the institution. The staff would remove their teeth without anaesthesia. Often, people in the institution were wearing rags without underwear. The staff only gave them underwear when the guests arrived. We also heard the story of a woman who fell in her apartment. She managed to call her guardian to come help her, but he came the next morning. The woman spent all night on the floor. One woman was left in the car where she had to wait while her foster carer was at work all day. These are just some of the stories we heard during the conversations.
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More information on violence against persons with disabilities There are some data on violence against persons with disabilities in Croatia. 17 women with disabilities were victims of domestic violence in 2018 according to the Ministry of Justice. 74 women with disabilities suffered some kind of damage because of the domestic violence according to the police. But in reality, there are more people with disabilities who are victims of some kind of violence. Often this violence isn’t reported or nobody knows that it happened. There is also some research on violence against persons with intellectual disabilities in Croatia. The Office of the Ombudsman for the Disability conducted an important research on violence in foster families and family homes. Many persons with disabilities in Croatia live with foster families or in family homes. In this research they talked with 8 persons with disabilities who lived with foster families or in family homes. 4 of them were women. Some of them were victims of physical and violence. Foster carers and professionals would insult and humiliate them. Other people didn’t respect them and threaten them. They also said that it was forbidden to bathe and maintain their hygiene.
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Foster carers were buying clothes that didn’t suit them. They also said how they were often hungry and couldn’t choose what they want to eat. They were threatened to stay hungry if they didn’t do the work. They were locked in rooms and were not allowed to go outside when guests were coming. They were forbidden to hang out with other people and were told when to come back home. When they were ill, they did not go to the doctor or the doctors would only talk to the foster carers. They also experienced other types of violence, such as: • • • • •
being told when they had to go to sleep not being allowed to ride a bicycle not being allowed to go to the hairdresser being forbidden from going to church or concerts not being allowed to use the Internet or their phone.
This is why it was difficult for them to meet other people. They were not involved in the community. They felt fear and helplessness. These stories are important because they show how persons with disabilities are victims of violence in institutions and in community.
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news Visit to museums During these cold autumn days we visited museums in Zagreb. Self-advocates visited with their assistants: • • • •
Technical Museum Nikola Tesla The Zagreb City Museum Museum of Broken Relationships and many others.
At the museums we had the opportunity to learn something new and have fun. Visits are part of the project Internet support - safe and accessible. This project is implemented with financial support of city of Zagreb. Computer workshops Don’t forget that every Wednesday we have computer workshops. The workshop is held at Medimurska 19 in the Association for Self-Advocacy. At the workshop you can use a computer. You can have a support of an assistant if you need it. Computer workshops are part of the project Internet support - safe and accessible. This project is implemented with financial support of city of Zagreb.
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Round tables on self-advocacy and protection rom violence In May we participaetd in two round tables on the topic of self-advocacy and protection from violence. The first round table was organized by self-advocates and assistants from Karlovac and Ozalj Community Support Center. The second round table was organized by Association for Self-Advocacy. In December we will have a final round table where we will present the results of the project Empowering women with intellectual disabilites. The round tables were part of the project Croatian Self-Advocacy Network Support for an active and included life in community implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy and the project Empowering Women with Intellectual Disabilities implemented with the financial support of Open Society Foundation. Who can you contact if you are a victim of violence? If you want to protect yourself or report violence, you can: • go to the closest police station • call the police at 192 • inform your social care institution. Or you can contact us! Međimurska 19, 10 000 Zagreb Telephone: 01 5530 556 E-mail: kontakt@samozastupanje.hr Visit our website www.samozastupanje.hr or visit us on Facebook.
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