Violence against women with disabilities: is Australia meeting its human rights obligations?

Abstract

Australia has developed a National Disability Strategy and a National Plan of Action on Violence Against Women in response to its international human rights commitments. Neither the Strategy nor the Plan, however, appears to adequately address violence against women with disabilities. Violence disproportionately affects women with disabilities as they are uniquely vulnerable to forms of violence due to their specific living circumstances. By drawing upon feedback from the UN convention committees, this article looks at Australia’s progress in meeting its international human rights obligations — especially under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — and discusses the shortcomings in Australian domestic legislation and emerging policies in addressing issues of violence against women with disabilities.