We have a long way to go to fulfil our international human rights obligations to disabled people agreed by successive governments. My hope is that by building greater awareness of the issues and their magnitude this report ignites action. This report provides a roadmap for collaborative action towards disabled people living free from violence and abuse and provides a resource for: • disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori to hear and share your voices • government and public agencies to inform robust policy and legislation • disability support services to understand more about family and sexual violence • Finally, I acknowledge those disabled people who have been harmed by violence and abuse and those working to prevent it. Alongside you, I commit to doing all I can to help heal the harm and build a violence free future. Mā whero, mā pango ka oti ai te mahi With red and black the work will be complete. Paula Tesoriero MNZM Disability Rights Commissioner family and sexual violence services to understand more about ableism and accessibility. Acknowledgements Thank you to Dr Debbie Hager as lead author of this report. Thank you also to Human Rights Commission disability advisory group, particularly Paul Brown, Patsie Frawley, Huhana Hickey, Sue Hobbs, Robyn Hunt, Ruth Jones, Leo McIntyre, Brigit Mirfin-Veitch and Gay Richards, and to the staff at the Human Rights Commission for their constant support and advice. 6 Human Rights Commission