Protocols As a rule, in the handling of cases involving women with disabilities the regular investigation and interview procedures shall apply, with additional special requirements as part of the processes in view of the physical and psychological or mental condition of the victims. As necessary, investigators and lawyers attending to cases involving this particular sector should work in close coordination or with the direct involvement of professional help, according to the needs of the victim-survivors. Accessibility and reasonable accommodation shall be provided to ensure access to justice for women with disabilities. Whenever appropriate, the victim-survivor should be assisted by the parents or guardian at all stages of the proceedings. If the officers handling the case do not speak the language of the victim or the victim is deaf, a competent interpreter is a must to ensure that the victim-survivor will be able to perceive and respond intelligently to questions or information asked of her. Facilities to ensure access and reasonable accommodation, shall be provided. Investigators and lawyers dealing with women with disabilities should remember and take into account the following157: • The circumstances where violence may occur for women with disabilities and deaf women differ at times from that of women without disabilities. For example, violence in the context of caregiving occurs for women with disabilities who use attendant or homecare services. Many violence against women services focus on intimate partner abuse which only addresses a percentage of the abuse experienced by women with disabilities. Many experience abuse within institutional settings (e.g., sexual abuse), by homecare personnel (e.g., physical abuse), and by caregivers and families (e.g., financial abuse). Yet there are limited strategies to address these differences. • Women face several barriers that impede or prevent reporting/disclosure of abuse/human 157 99 rights violations and accessing supports, these barriers should be taken into consideration and addressed in order to ensure access to and services to women with disabilities. • Many women with disabilities do not know that what they are experiencing are forms of abuse –for many women with disabilities, abuse is the ‘norm’ in their lives; • Women with disabilities may not know where to go to seek help and lack appropriate services – women with disabilities may not see themselves represented in services or they may not know what services are available that can provide support and connection to the community. In order for service providers, in this case, lawyers and investigators to provide sensitive handling of human rights/ discrimination/non –compliance cases, the following may be observed: • Non-judgmental listening, believing disclosures, and treating women with compassion and respect; • Asking about abuse and having the space and time needed to talk about it in a supportive setting (e.g., drop in, formal support group or with friends); • Connecting the woman to the larger community (isolation leads to greater risk for victimization and many women with disabilities experience high rates of isolation as a result of exclusion from their families and the larger community); and • Taking care of their health (violence is a health issue and impacts a woman’s mental and physical well-being) • .Elderly Everybody has the right to survival, freedom and personal safety, and the right to obtain basic provisions for living. No one, including elders, should be treated with cruelty, inhumanity or insult158. In handling 158 Procedural Guidelines for Handling Elder Abuse Cases/ December 2003 (Revised in August 2006) http://www.swd.gov.hk/ CHR Gender Ombud Guidelines