Introduction to special issue on violence against people with disability.

Abstract

People with disabilities make up some 15% of the world's population (World Health Organization (WHO)/World Bank, 2011) and experience disadvan- tages in many domains of life. Among the factors that blight the lives of people with physical, sensory, and intellectual impairments and mental health conditions, violence plays a key role. Recent evidence synthesis has shown what has been suspected for many years: that persons with disabilities have a 50% higher chance of having suffered violence in the past year, raising to a threefold increased risk for people with mental health conditions (Hughes et al., 2012). Meanwhile children with disabilities have a threefold increased risk of having suffered violence (Jones et al., 2012). Violence against persons with disability is therefore a significant public health and human rights issue. Protection of the rights of individuals with disabilities, and enablement of their full participation in society has become a global priority, as evidenced by the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (UN, 2006) and the 2013 High Level Meeting on Disability and Development. In 2011, the WHO/World Bank World Report on Disability was launched to galvanize action on this priority. It gathered evidence about the global scale of disability, its impact on well-being, and showed how the barriers facing individuals with disability can be overcome. Following the World Report, the WHO's Global disability action plan 2014-2021: Better