Disability Related Harassment

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The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published an inquiry into disability related harassment.


The inquiry took place between 2010 and 2011 and investigated disability-related harassment carried out by individuals or groups of people, including strangers, neighbours, acquaintances, friends, family, relatives and partners. Regardless of whether the harassment occurred in public places such as streets, parks, schools and leisure facilities and/or in private such as the home.


The inquiry finds that harassment is a commonplace experience for disabled people. Unfortunately too many authorities either don’t belief victims or don’t have the right tools to tackle it effectively.

The report, entitled Hidden in Plain Sight, makes the following core recommendations:


• There is real ownership of the issue in organisations critical to dealing with harassment. Leaders show strong personal commitment and determination to deliver change.


• Definitive data is available which spells out the scale, severity and nature of disability harassment and enables better monitoring of the performance of those responsible for dealing with it.


• The criminal justice system is more accessible and responsive to victims and disabled people and provides effective support to them.


• We have a better understanding of the motivations and circumstances of perpetrators and are able to more effectively design interventions.


• The wider community has a more positive attitude towards disabled people and better understands the nature of the problem.


• Promising approaches to preventing and responding to harassment and support systems for those who require them have been evaluated and disseminated.


• All frontline staff who may be required to recognise and respond to issues of disability-related harassment have received effective guidance and training.

It also examines ten cases where harassment led to the severe injury or death of a disabled person. Sadly these cases all show that serious cases of abuse and harassment are far too common.


Disability related harassment is a hate crime and SDEF will continue to seek that the law treats it as such. Punishment and education must go hand in hand so that these types of incidents are eradicated from society.