Dr Zhraa Alhaboby, School of Life Health and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), The Open University.
In Northern Ireland, one in five people is disabled and in 2022/24 disability hate crime reached its highest level. This presentation focuses on cyber-victimisation of disabled people and its serious consequences on their physical, mental and social wellbeing, to highlight barriers to their protection and deepening inequalities. It shares findings from an academic study funded by The British Academy, which examined the scope and impact of cyber-victimisation of disabled people in Northern Ireland. It seeks to help inform Assembly deliberations about the forthcoming Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill and the Executive Disability Strategy 2025/30.
The study used a mixed-methods design, combining an online survey of 113 disabled adults in Northern Ireland, with qualitative data from 17 participants who experienced cyber-victimisation, who were identified with support from Victim Support NI and the Hate Crime Advocacy Service, alongside social media campaigns. Its findings indicated cyber-victimisation was prevalent, harmful and underreported amongst those surveyed: 30.1% of them had experienced cyber-victimisation, with 23.0% reporting incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic and 44% of the targeted individuals experienced significant impacts on their health.
Moreover, qualitative findings highlighted the role of harmful public attitudes towards disability, including stigma, discrimination and narratives that devalue disabled lives. It also revealed most of the affected participants had not received formal support, and none had reported incidents to the police.
The research highlighted a gap in addressing cyber-hate victims, providing insight into the complexity of the harms experienced by disabled people, including evidence to inform assessment of how cyber-victimisation affects disabled people’s health, access to support and engagement with justice processes. Findings indicated online targeting of disabled people was motivated by hate, yet loss of trust and fear contributed to underreporting, raising questions about how online harms are recognised within existing victim frameworks. It also identified a potential role for the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of Crime in recognising online harms and their differential impact on disabled people within future strategies.
The presentation also draws on research and expertise in this area in Great Britain – for example, evidence to the House of Commons that was cited in Whitehall policy documents and contributed to law reform consultations on communication offences and hate crime laws in England and Wales.
This seminar took place on 20 May 2026.
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