Margaret Kennedy: From the cradle to the grave: sexual abuse and violence against disabled women and children

“I'm going to light my candle again. They say that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Well, I have cursed the darkness… and it is very dark, but I have lit the candle. And I ask all of you to go out and light the candles, and work really hard, because there is a lot of work to be done.”

From 1996:

"From The Cradle To The Grave: Sexual Abuse And Violence Against Disabled Women And Children – Keynote Address

In this presentation I will give an overview of sexual abuse and violence in the lives of disabled children and adults. Such abuse and violence can occur anytime from cradle to grave, and must be viewed within a context of societal attitudes which oppress disabled people, especially women and children.

Margaret has developed pioneering work in issues of disability and child protection. She is co-editor of The ABCD Pack: Abuse and Children who are Disabled. She chaired the Disability and Abuse Working Party of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, and is a co-opted member of BASPCAN’s National Executive Committee. She has also established ‘Christian Survivors of Sexual Abuse’ (CSSA) to challenge churches on their treatment of survivors, runs self-help groups and edits a journal on Christianity and abuse."

Margaret Kennedy is an Irish feminist, social justice & disability activist, and former social work lecturer. She is the founder of Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors (MACSAS), and author of The Courage to Tell.