People with disability or a long-term health condition were more likely to have experienced physical violence compared with people without disability or a long-term health condition, according to new figures released today from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2016-17 Personal Safety Survey.
Stephen Collett, Program Manager for Education, Crime and Culture Statistics, said: "The survey results show that 5 per cent (or 288,700) of people with disability or a long-term health condition experienced physical violence, in 2016, compared with about 4 per cent (or 531,300) of people without disability or a long-term health condition".
"The survey also shows that the proportion of people with disability or a long-term health condition who experienced physical violence varied across different disability types.
"For example, almost one in eight people with psychological disability and intellectual disability experienced physical violence in 2016, compared with one in twenty people with physical disability," he said.
Sexual harassment
The PSS also collected information about men’s and women’s experiences of selected types of sexual harassment. The survey showed that people with disability or a long term health condition experienced sexual harassment at a higher rate than those without disability or a long-term health condition, 15 per cent compared to 13 per cent.
"This disparity was more prominent for younger Australians. "The survey found that two in five people (43 per cent or 172,400) with disability or a long-term health condition in the 18-24 age group reported experiencing sexual harassment in 2016. This was almost double the proportion of people without disability or a long-term health condition in this age group (24 per cent or 433,000 people)," Mr Collett said.
