Petition Secondary abuse of blind and visually impaired women by Law Enforcement Agencies

Blind and visually impaired women are also victims of gender based violence – intimate partner violence, domestic violence, rape and sexual, emotional and psycho-social abuse. The incidents are not reported upon by Law Enforcement Agencies since the cases/incidents are generally not recorded by officials.

Blind and visually impaired women are generally informed by police officials at Police Stations that a case cannot be opened since the blind and visually impaired women cannot identify the alleged perpetrator.

It is unlikely that these Blind and visually impaired women will regain sight therefore the Law Enforcement Agencies need to develop strategies and programmes: –

1. Accept that blind and visually impaired women can also be victims: –
2. Blind and visually impaired women require the protection of the law and therapeutic services;
3. Find alternative methodology of identifying alleged perpetrators;
4. Undertake awareness raising and sensitisation of all persons in the Law Enforcement value chain on blind and visual impairment;
5. Provide disaggregated statistics which focuses on incidents reported by blind and visually impaired women and the outcomes of such interventions;
6. Isolation Centres and Safe Houses to be accessible to blind and visually impaired women; and
7. Resource Tool Kits and information leaflets to be available in accessible formats i.e. braille, audio and large print.

The Law Enforcement, Social Development and Health services address these concerns by blind and visually impaired women and provide a strategy to develop programmes to Blind SA by 30 November 2020.

Presented to

Minister of Police