Parental and community views on determinants of sexual abuse of adolescent girls with disabilities in Bangladesh

Adolescent girls with disabilities are more susceptible to sexual abuse, according to studies conducted around the world. Adolescent girls with disabilities had roughly double the lifetime risk of sexual assault compared to non-disabled girls. Current evidence is empirically limited and there is an urgent need to explore the underlying causes of sexual abuse to disable girls from a local perspective. By leaving the underlying determinants of sexual abuse to disable girls unexplored, it may further exacerbate vulnerability. The purpose of this study was to identify the determinants that influence sexual abuse of adolescent girls with disabilities from the perspective of their parents and the wider community. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted among parents of victims and different community groups in five localities of Rajshahi district. Four themes were developed from interviews with participants including victimization, perpetration, vulnerability and risk, and protection of adolescent girls with disabilities. Emerging sub-themes were defined as determinants of sexual abuse. Victimization was perceived with victim centered determinants including disable girl’s physical disability, misunderstandings about inappropriate behavior and inability to report an abuse. The household centered determinants were poverty with limited social capacity of family, maternal unawareness and low level of education, and inability to access legal aid. Participants selected determinants of perpetration, including offender’s economic and political power, opportunities to negotiate after abuse, and inappropriate touching sometimes treated as permissive care. The two main determinants cited that increase the vulnerability and risk of sexual abuse were poor living arrangements and living away from biological parents. As recommendation, emphasis was placed on ensuring strong family connections with disable girls for protection and social support from relatives and neighbors as well as fostering empathy among all.