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English: People with disabilities are especially vulnerable to abuse.
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People with disabilities are especially vulnerable to abuse. Abuse is when
someone who is supposed to care about you threatens your health, your
well-being or your financial situation. Some examples of abuse are:
- rough treatment like hitting, slapping, or misusing physical restraints
- any sexual conduct towards you without your consent
- humiliation, intimidation, insults or threats
- isolating you from family members, neighbours and friends
- treating you like a child
- withholding your medication, over-medicating you, misusing chemical restraints
- forcing you to sell personal belongings or property
- stealing your money, pension cheques or possessions
- denying you information, visitors, privacy, religious worship, health care
- interfering with your mail
- withholding food or other basic necessities and care
Who gets abused?
All kinds of people are vulnerable to abuse, but people with disabilities
are especially vulnerable. Abuse can happen to any person with
disabilities. Victims usually know the people who hurt them. Some people
with disabilities are abused by their husband or wife, or by children or
even grandchildren. The abuser is often a caregiver—someone the victim
depends on for food, shelter, personal care or companionship. Victims may
live in their own homes or with relatives, in nursing homes, or in chronic
care hospitals.
What if you are being abused?
You don't deserve to be treated that way. And you can't change the
abuser. Only the abuser can. But you can ask for help. There are people
who care and are ready to listen. Talk to someone you trust—a friend,
family member, doctor, nurse, social worker, the police. Call one of the
numbers on this web site or on the Abuse Help Lines page on the inside of the SaskTel Guide tab of the telephone book. There is help for you. (Not all services listed are necessarily accessible to all types of disabilities.)
What if someone you know is being abused?
They need the abuse to stop. They need information and support to help
them become independent of the abuser. Talk to them about it and let them
know you care and are ready to listen. Suggest they get help from someone
they trust—a doctor, nurse, the police. Check out the services listed on this web site for them. (Not all services listed are necessarily accessible to all types of disabilities.) Show them or
tell them about this web site.
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If you are abusing someone,
there's help for you, too.
Call one of the services listed on this web site.
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