Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we are happy to announce that the European Women’s Lobby has granted EUCAP funding for a 3-month project to fight violence against autistic women and girls.
Recent studies show that autistic women and girls are exposed to a much higher level of violence than non-autistic women and girls. The numbers from these studies are alarming, showing that as many as nine out of ten autistic women have been submitted to sexual violence (1), and more than 75% reported multiple types of violence and repeated instances (2). Autistic children are up to three times as likely as non-autistic children to be targets of bullying or physical or sexual abuse, with high prevalence of maltreatment and adverse effects, including increased risk for suicidality (3).
EUCAP will use the grant to build a survey to understand autistic people’s experiences of violence in Europe, with the main focus on women and girls but covering all genders. We will create material and information on the types of violence that autistic people face, and their needs for access to reporting and legal services, accessibility of domestic shelters, as well as other issues. This will increase the capacity of autistic-led organisations to advocate for the prevention of violence.
