Australian Human Rights Commission Submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – 25 July 2019 a. closely consult and actively involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability and their representative organisations in all aspects of the design and implementation of actions under the plan and the monitoring and review of the plan b. adequately resource actions under the plan c. review and update the plan to align with the next NDS. 4.2 Women and girls with disability (CRPD art 6, CO 16-17, LOI 6) 37. Women with disability experience violence and abuse at higher rates than women without disability in Australia. A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2019, focusing on family domestic and sexual violence, found that: • approximately 32% women with disability had experienced emotional abuse from a current or previous partner since the age of 15, compared with 19% women without disability • 25% of women with disability had experienced sexual violence (including assault and threats) since the age of 15, compared with 15% of women without disability.32 38. The Commission is currently undertaking a National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces. The Commission’s 2018 National Survey on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace found that 52% of women with disability had experienced workplace sexual harassment during the last five years.33 39. The Commission welcomes the development of the Fourth Action Plan (2019–2022) under the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. It has recommended that the Fourth Action Plan: a. address all forms of violence b. ensure protections are in place to prevent involuntary or coerced sterilisation c. include targeted prevention and early intervention initiatives d. include measures to ensure information, resources and education are provided in a range of accessible formats e. expand research and data-collection measures to better understand the nature and prevalence of violence and to inform evidence-based policy responses.34 12