Sexual violence against girls and young women with disabilities in Ethiopia: Including a capability perspective

The study examined the attributes of sexual violence against girls and young women with disabilities in the northern part of Ethiopia. In order to reach the proposed objective, six in-depth interviews were conducted with young women with disabilities who were survivors of sexual violence experienced during their adolescence and their caregivers. The study focused on vulnerability factors, situations of perpetrators, effects of sexual abuse and coping strategies. The results revealed that women with disabilities became victims of sexual violence because they are perceived as defenceless and live under poor protection. Disability and poverty are additional risk factors leading to gender-based violence. It was also found that the topic of sexual violence was a taboo in the respective neighbourhoods. Furthermore, the sexual violence was repeated and more severe for some, and it caused never-ending psychological, educational, social, economic, and health problems for all of the participating interviewees. The capability approach was used to reflect on the individual situations of the interviewees. The aim was to analyse contributing factors and consequences of this severe injustice against girls and women with disabilities, as well as to reflect on possible measures to restore capabilities and enable functionings by addressing important conversion factors.