Ms Eliona Gjecaj:

On the question regarding examples of situations of domestic violence, there is a big essay or article by a disabled woman who got into an argument with her partner. She told her partner she had decided to leave and asked to be brought her scooter so that she could do so. That is an image of how complicated getting out, speaking out or speaking about one's current situation can be. As Nem Kearns said, disabled women are women too. That connects with a point I made in my opening remarks. When it comes to escaping or running away from violence, we need to know where to run to. Most shelters are inaccessible. If disabled women are under certain financial restrictions, they may not be able to afford a hotel for the night on their own. In addition, some of the support services are attached to the person's house or area, rather than to the individual. Not only is there the risk of having one's children taken away, there is also the risk of having no support for several months in the new domicile or rescue centre. One needs to have all the documentation to apply for support needs, such as PA support or other services one may need. That adds to the stress.

Domestic or gender-based violence of any sort is not easy to deal with for anyone, never mind when the person must also deal with housing issues, housing benefit, medical cards, post, applications for support staff and so on. There is also the issue of finding accessible housing and being able to afford the rent in the current housing rent market and so on. It brings many issues together. On top of that, there is a lack of information in an accessible format regarding where a person can go or reach out to. It can be the case that a person's partner, family member or carer can instil fear regarding where the person will go and who will provide better care than the person is currently receiving. In a way, the devil you know is better than ten devils you do not know. In the context of domestic violence, some people have to compromise in order to keep their support services, housing benefits and so on, but that should not be the case. It should not be left to disabled people to endure that violence and compromise their safety, psychological health and support services due to the fear of losing their kids or supports and so on. This is important. I wish to highlight the issue because many people may struggle to speak about it due to its being hushed up or too sensitive. It is not taboo. We need to talk about it, no matter how sensitive or difficult it is or how narrow the window for consultation, communication and conversation. If we do not do so, things will never change.