Domestic gender inter-personal violence and people with intellectual disability

ABSTRACT

There is considerable evidence in the literature that persons with intellectual disability are not only stigmatised against but are also often victim of inter-personal violence, which is often linked with gender but also with perceptions that these individuals are more violent. Gender-based violence can be both acute and chronic. The role culture plays in gender development and gender roles is well described. Gender roles and gender role expectations are important in clinical understanding of individuals’ needs and cultures play a major role in this. Culture also plays a role in the understanding of intellectual disability thus creating a complex web of social and cultural understanding. There seem to be various varieties of violence: physical, sexual, emotional and exploitative among others. Clinicians need to be aware of how persons with intellectual disabilities are abused and how to assess their needs, but more importantly how to set protective aspects of intervention in place.