When we speak of disability inclusion, we often picture ramps, accessible restrooms, or Braille signage. These symbols matter: they signal not just access, but the recognition of every person’s right to belong. Yet true inclusion begins long before and extends far beyond infrastructure. It is about safety, dignity, and the assurance that participation does not come at the cost of vulnerability.
Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people—about one in six—live with significant disabilities. Across institutions and communities, persons with disabilities face disproportionate risks of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and harassment not because of fragility, but because systems that claim to protect, too often forget to include them.
In the United States, persons with disabilities make up about 12% of the population, yet account for 26% of all non-fatal violent crime victims, a rate four times higher than for those without disabilities. Women with disabilities are two to four times more likely to experience intimate partner violence, reminding us that danger often comes from those closest, not distant actors.
Inaccessible systems and fear of disbelief make protection conditional; only 19% of sexual assaults involving persons with disabilities are reported, versus 36% for others. Accessibility opens the door. Safety and dignity keep it open.
Persons with disabilities experience violence at twice the rate of the general population, often from those entrusted with their care. Dependence without safeguards can turn protection into control. Meaningful participation means that persons with disabilities are not consulted after decisions are made; they are part of designing the systems that protect them.
Article 16 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) affirms that States must prevent violence through training, supervision, and independent monitoring of institutions. Global meta-analyses show that about 26.7% of children with disabilities experience violence, and 13.7% are victims of sexual violence. Between 40% and 68% of girls with disabilities experience sexual violence before age 18. These harms often go unseen, creating layers of trauma that follow into adulthood.
Inclusive protection begins with access to justice and voice. Collaboration across social services, justice systems, and disability advocates can make reporting and support truly usable. Training is key: a 2023 U.S. survey by the 19th News and SurveyMonkey found that 48% of women with disabilities experienced workplace harassment or assault, compared with 32% of women without disabilities.
Accountability turns intent into impact. Like gender or ethics audits, regular accessibility reviews help identify barriers and track progress. Making systems safer requires simple reporting channels, well-trained staff, and data that bring hidden risks to light. Strong partnerships with statistical offices and disability organizations can help close data gaps and drive meaningful change. These measures put policy into action and make inclusion a responsibility.
The UN Secretary-General has prioritized ending sexual exploitation and abuse through four pillars: victim-centered action, accountability, partnership, and transparent communication. Building on this vision, the Toolkit on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: A Practical Guide for United Nations Senior Leaders In-Country, offers guidance for strengthening victim-centered responses and accountability.
Yet, as many advocates note, existing frameworks for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) remain procedural rather than transformative. They focus on what organizations should do for vulnerable people rather than work with them. Embedding disability expertise, universal design, and independent monitoring into PSEA systems would align practice with the CRPD and extend the UN’s promise of dignity and safety to those most at risk.
Across the UN system, approaches to preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) vary widely. While progress has been made, strategies often remain fragmented, with uneven attention to accessibility and inclusion. Recent findings from the UN Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) reinforce this need for transformation, observing that protection frameworks remain unevenly implemented and that accessibility must be strengthened at every level. Integrating disability perspectives into these reforms would turn compliance into culture, ensuring that every safeguard truly protects everyone.
This challenge is particularly relevant in field and peacekeeping contexts, where complex power dynamics, cultural barriers, and limited accessibility can heighten vulnerability. However, protection must also apply internally: as the JIU notes, exploitation and abuse can occur not only in field interactions but within organizational structures themselves. Inclusive reporting and support systems must therefore extend to all staff, ensuring that no one is left outside the circle of protection.
Article 16 of the CRPD underscores the importance of independent monitoring to prevent abuse and uphold rights. Embedding that same spirit within institutions through internal reviews, accessible complaint systems, and transparent oversight transforms compliance into protection.
Without data, invisibility persists. Disaggregating information by disability is not a statistical formality; it is how institutions begin to see those they claim to serve. Evidence-based inclusion helps bring hidden vulnerabilities to light and turn visibility into change. Every statistic hides a story, and inclusion begins when we choose to listen.
Persons with disabilities should never have to choose between participation and protection. Creating safe environments requires more than goodwill; it demands awareness and skill. Leaders have a responsibility to model inclusion, ensuring that safety and dignity are built into everyday decisions.
As scholar Neera R. Jain points out, real inclusion involves going beyond just following rules. It means seeing disability not as something to accommodate but as a normal part of human experience. Inclusion, in this sense, becomes a living practice: something we design, question, and refine continuously. True protection begins when every person’s safety is non-negotiable.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, celebrated on 3 December, invites reflection and underscores that accessibility without dignity is only half a promise. Protection does not end when violence stops; it extends to recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration, as envisioned in Article 16 of the CRPD. Dignity is not a privilege granted; it’s a right recognized.
When inclusion means both access and safety, people with disabilities stop being seen as beneficiaries and become partners in creating safer, fairer institutions. That is what it means to move beyond ramps and access an inclusion that protects, listens, and empowers.
The real measure of progress is not in the number of policies we adopt, but in the people who feel seen, safe, and valued because of them. Each accessible form, audit, or training is more than just a procedure. It is a sign of respect. The UN has the credibility and reach to model this globally, showing that inclusion and protection are inseparable pillars of ethical governance.
As the UN and its partners continue to confront exploitation and abuse in all forms, disability inclusion must be seen not as a specialized concern but as a core element of protection, accountability, and trust. The promise of dignity, after all, belongs to everyone.