Preventing abuse 295
Preventing abuse
One of the ways women with disabilities can be safer from abuse is to become
more involved in the community. Talking with others can help you find support.
• Communicate with more than one person. If at first other people find it
hard to understand your speech, they will understand you better with practice.
Drawing simple pictures can also help.
• Talk about abuse with other women you trust. It can be hard to explain
what happened, and you may be ashamed or afraid that your abuser will find
out. You may also worry that no one will believe you. Sometimes you might
feel worse after you talk, especially if the person you are telling does not
listen. But talking with someone is usually the best way to get help. For more
information about support groups, see page 65.
I talk to women
elders I trust
when I need
assistance and
support.
I try to calm myself down
and talk directly to the
person who isn’t treating
me well. I make it clear
that I don’t like the way I
was treated.
People say things like,
“This girl is worthless.”
To get rid of the feeling of
worthlessness, I discovered I
could do things with my hands.
Knowing my own skills helped
take away some of the pain of
the verbal abuse.
When I was a schoolgirl,
a boy pushed me down and
took away my crutches. I
told my teacher and she
punished him. She also
advised me to always walk
in the company of other
children.
I was lonely with only my husband
knowing how to use sign language.
Teaching some sign language to other
women in the community helped me make
friends and do more things with other
people. Now I have the support of other
women and I can ask for help when I need
to.
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007