Intersecting inequities in robbery and assault victimization by disability: Evidence from 31 countries
1
Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
2
International Centre for Evidence in Disability, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
3
School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
4
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
5
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Introduction. People with disabilities experience more violence throughout their lives than people without disabilities and are often missing from violence data. Robbery and assault are forms of community and interpersonal violence that can result in adverse health, social, and economic consequences. This study examines intersecting inequities in robbery or assault victimisation by disability status among men and women and whether inequities exist within sub-groups of wealth and rurality. Methods. Data came from Round 6 of the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) in31 low- and middle-income countries. Disability was measured through the Washington Group Short Set Module. The primary outcome was a self-reported measure of any robbery or assault in the past three years. We described the prevalence, the location of violence, and the use of a weapon. We fitted age-adjusted modified Poisson models and report prevalence ratios (aPRs) for inequities in the prevalence of robbery or assault by disability, wealth, and rurality. Analyses were sex-stratified and survey weighted. Results. The final sample included 341,641 women in 31 countries and 75,408 men in 24 countries. The three-year prevalence of robbery and assault ranged from 0.4%-16.7% among women and 0.9%-26.6% among men. We found large inequities by disability status in experiences of robbery and assault among women (aPR range: 1.35 to 3.87) and men (aPR range: 1.53 to 3.99) in most countries. Inequities by disability status existed within all sub-groups of wealth and rurality. Conclusions. This cross-national analysis underscores a concerning pattern: women and men with disabilities consistently face a significantly higher risk of experiencing robbery and assault across diverse socio-economic and geographic contexts. Even in settings where overall violence rates are low or evenly distributed, people with disabilities remain disproportionately affected. Our findings emphasize the urgent need to address the invisibility of disability in data and for disability-inclusive polices.
Introduction. People with disabilities experience more violence throughout their lives than people without disabilities and are often missing from violence data. Robbery and assault are forms of community and interpersonal violence that can result in adverse health, social, and economic consequences. This study examines intersecting inequities in robbery or assault victimisation by disability status among men and women and whether inequities exist within sub-groups of wealth and rurality. Methods. Data came from Round 6 of the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) in31 low- and middle-income countries. Disability was measured through the Washington Group Short Set Module. The primary outcome was a self-reported measure of any robbery or assault in the past three years. We described the prevalence, the location of violence, and the use of a weapon. We fitted age-adjusted modified Poisson models and report prevalence ratios (aPRs) for inequities in the prevalence of robbery or assault by disability, wealth, and rurality. Analyses were sex-stratified and survey weighted. Results. The final sample included 341,641 women in 31 countries and 75,408 men in 24 countries. The three-year prevalence of robbery and assault ranged from 0.4%-16.7% among women and 0.9%-26.6% among men. We found large inequities by disability status in experiences of robbery and assault among women (aPR range: 1.35 to 3.87) and men (aPR range: 1.53 to 3.99) in most countries. Inequities by disability status existed within all sub-groups of wealth and rurality. Conclusions. This cross-national analysis underscores a concerning pattern: women and men with disabilities consistently face a significantly higher risk of experiencing robbery and assault across diverse socio-economic and geographic contexts. Even in settings where overall violence rates are low or evenly distributed, people with disabilities remain disproportionately affected. Our findings emphasize the urgent need to address the invisibility of disability in data and for disability-inclusive polices.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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