Crime against disabled people is rising and advocates say more needs to be done

The victimization rate has been increasing since 2015, according to statistics.

Disabled people are disproportionately victims of violent crime and victimization in the United States, according to new data released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. And the frequency of these crimes is also increasing, according to the data, though activists don't seem to know why.

The data shows that from 2017-2019 disabled people accounted for 26% of nonfatal violent crimes, even though they make up only 12% of the population and are victims of violence at almost four times the rate of non-disabled people.

For disabled women, the disparity is even greater and the prospect of victimization seems almost inevitable to some, activists say. The data also shows the ongoing prevalence of domestic and intimate partner violence against disabled women, and activists say it showcases the failings of a system that wasn't built for the well-being of disabled people.

Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu, the executive director of non-profit disability advocacy group Project LETS, is a survivor of sexual violence herself and was sexually assaulted by a friend as a senior in college.