DHAKA (Bangladesh) - HALF of all disabled children in impoverished Bangladesh have been sexually abused, often by close family relatives, according to a new study.
Some 52 per cent of girls and 48 per cent of boys aged between seven and 18 years have been abused, molested or raped, said the report by a Bangladeshi state-run foundation for the disabled and Save the Children.
'The majority of the attackers are male and some 40 per cent of the offenders are family members, which shows how vulnerable our disabled children are,' said Selina Ahmed of Save the Children.
'This is the first study carried out in Bangladesh on sexual abuse of disabled children and we have been shocked by the findings,' she told AFP on Wednesday.
The study was conducted on 216 children and 535 adults with hearing, vision, physical and mental disabilities. Researchers also interviewed family members, teachers and charity workers.
According to the study, children with mental problems face more harassment than other disabled children because they often cannot distinguish between sexual abuse and normal physical contact. -- AFP
Source: STonline
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