078f3adb   
   From: olivercranglejr@gmail.com   
      
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   On Tuesday, September 13, 2011 11:03:18 AM UTC-5, pautrey2 wrote:   
   > Independent.co.uk   
   >    
   > Tales of bullying and abuse 'prove authorities have failed disabled'   
   >    
   > By Nina Lakhani   
   >    
   > Monday, 12 September 2011   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > Public authorities are guilty of a "systemic failure" to protect the   
   >    
   > hundreds of thousands of disabled people who routinely endure   
   >    
   > harassment or abuse, according to an inquiry.   
   >    
   > The most extreme cases of abuse, including torture and murder,   
   >    
   > represent only a small part of the problem, and a "cultural shift" is   
   >    
   > needed in how disabled people are viewed.   
   >    
   > Verbal and physical abuse, theft, fraud and sexual bullying have   
   >    
   > become so widespread that disabled people seldom report even serious   
   >    
   > incidents because they accept the harassment as inevitable.   
   >    
   > The inquiry was set up by the Equality and Human Rights Commission   
   >    
   > after the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter, Francecca   
   >    
   > Hardwick, in Leicestershire in 2007. The two were found dead in their   
   >    
   > burnt-out car not far from the home where they had suffered seven   
   >    
   > years of verbal and physical harassment by local youths who went   
   >    
   > unpunished.   
   >    
   > The report, Hidden in Plain Sight, found that harassment is   
   >    
   > commonplace, largely ignored and rarely included in official   
   >    
   > statistics. MPs described the report last night as a devastating   
   >    
   > reflection of modern Britain which indicated the need for major   
   >    
   > attitude changes.   
   >    
   > The inquiry examined 10 cases of severe abuse, nine of which resulted   
   >    
   > in the death of the victim. In many cases, police, health, housing and   
   >    
   > social services had done little to tackle harassment and petty crimes   
   >    
   > against the victims which then escalated into more serious assaults.   
   >    
   > Instead, the victims were often advised to stop going out or to avoid   
   >    
   > the perpetrators, and disability was rarely considered to be a   
   >    
   > motivating factor in the crime even when accompanied by hateful name   
   >    
   > calling. Serious case reviews were carried out in only half of the   
   >    
   > deaths.   
   >    
   > Mike Smith, the lead commissioner and disability committee head from   
   >    
   > the EHRC, said: "What is most shocking about the 10 extreme cases is   
   >    
   > just how vile people can be to other people in modern society. But,   
   >    
   > when you take a step back, almost more shocking is just how much of   
   >    
   > this nasty stuff is happening to a lot of people a lot of the time,   
   >    
   > yet no one is taking notice. It's like a collective denial."   
   >    
   > An estimated 10 million, or close to 20 per cent, of Britons are   
   >    
   > disabled. The British Crime Survey shows 1.9 million disabled people   
   >    
   > were the victims of crime in 2009-10 however this excludes disability-   
   >    
   > related harassment that is not considered to be criminal such as   
   >    
   > persistent name calling and kicking doors.   
   >    
   > David Congdon, Mencap head of campaigns and policy, said: "Today's   
   >    
   > EHRC report exposes systematic and institutional failings in the   
   >    
   > ability of public authorities to protect disabled people and their   
   >    
   > families from harassment."   
   >    
   > Many experts said last night that what was most needed was a   
   >    
   > fundamental shift in society's attitudes towards disability and   
   >    
   > disabled people. "There needs to be a collective responsibility so   
   >    
   > everyone notices and no one turns a blind eye," Mr Smith said.   
   >    
   > The Government said it would respond to the recommendations made by   
   >    
   > the 18-month inquiry. A spokesman said: "Disability-related harassment   
   >    
   > is unacceptable and has no place in a civilised society ... We know   
   >    
   > that hate crime often goes unreported and is not always centrally   
   >    
   > recorded and we are committed to changing this."   
   >    
   > Ann McGuire, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Disability   
   >    
   > Group, called the report a "devastating" indictment of 21st-century   
   >    
   > Britain.   
   >    
   > Eight stories that shame Britain   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > David Askew ,who had a mental age of 10, was subjected to harassment   
   >    
   > that included verbal abuse and having his windows smashed, for 12   
   >    
   > years. He died of a heart attack in March 2010 after an incident   
   >    
   > involving local youths.   
   >    
   > Keith Philpott, 36, who had learning difficulties, was beaten and   
   >    
   > stabbed to death. Two men, Sean Swindon and Michael Peart, were   
   >    
   > convicted of his murder, which was thought to have been motivated by   
   >    
   > disapproval of Philpott's relationship with Swindon's sister.   
   >    
   > Shaowei, 25, was subjected to treatment described by police as   
   >    
   > "torture" by her husband Lun Xi Tan and was found murdered in 2006.   
   >    
   > Her husband pleaded guilty to allowing the death of a vulnerable   
   >    
   > adult.   
   >    
   > Christopher Foulkes, above left, who had mental health issues, was   
   >    
   > tormented by a 15-year-old boy. He was found dead in 2007 and the   
   >    
   > teenager was charged with wounding with intent.   
   >    
   > Colin Greenwood, a partially-sighted man from Sheffield, was   
   >    
   > frequently taunted by youths. In 2007 he was assaulted by two   
   >    
   > teenagers and died in hospital from a head wound.   
   >    
   > Steven Hoskin was murdered in 2006 after sufferings years of abuse. Mr   
   >    
   > Hoskin, who had a reading age of six, had been imprisoned and abused   
   >    
   > in his home by a several perpetrators.   
   >    
   > Laura Milne, who had learning disabilities, was beaten and tortured   
   >    
   > before being murdered in 2007 by three men, one of whom had bullied   
   >    
   > her at school. All three were convicted and imprisoned.   
   >    
   > Michael Gilbert, above right, who had an undiagnosed mental health   
   >    
   > issue, was kept as a domestic slave by the family of James Watt. He   
   >    
   > was repeatedly beaten and stabbed and his dismembered body was found   
   >    
   > in 2009. Watt had been in care with Gilbert. Six convictions followed.   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   >  independent.co.uk   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tales-of-bullyi   
   g-and-abuse-prove-authorities-have-failed-disabled-2353164.html   
      
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