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New report calls for increased funding for ‘invisible’ Deaf victim-survivors of domestic abuse

  • Area of Work: Scottish Sensory Hub
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 17th December 2025

Sign LOUD report launched on International Human Rights Day

 A new report warns Deaf women experiencing domestic abuse in Scotland remain “effectively invisible” due to the chronic absence of specialist services and a lack of coordinated national support. Researchers say this gap leaves deaf victim-survivors without meaningful access to safety and advocacy. 

 Led by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, the British Academy-funded Sign LOUD report highlights that Scotland currently has no national dedicated British Sign Language (BSL) support services for Deaf victim-survivors of domestic abuse, despite evidence that Deaf women are two to three times more likely to experience abuse than the general population.   

The Sign LOUD report is being publicly launched on International Human Rights Day which is observed every year on December 10 to commemorate the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. It serves as a global reminder of the fundamental rights and freedoms owed to every person, and a call to action to protect them. 

Read more about the Sign LOUD report findings and recommendations here.

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