With August being Women’s Month in SA, various campaigns are being launched to raise awareness of violence against women. But women with disabilities often fall outside these initiatives – even though they are four to 10 times more susceptible to being victims of sexual and physical abuse. Ronel (not her real name) is one such woman.

“I am scared. What if he finds me again,” Ronel types on her cellphone. She has a disability and cannot speak. Thanks to social services, and a protracted court case, she lives in a safe home for people with disabilities. Ronel is in the same boat as many other women with disabilities. As a young girl she was sexually abused by the very people she should have been able to trust...