In the past five years, over 550 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives, or caregivers.

On Wednesday, March 1st, the disability community will gather virtually and across the nation to remember these disabled victims of filicide – disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers. We hold the Day of Mourning vigils to draw attention to these injustices, to commemorate the lives of victims, and demand justice and equal protection under the law for all people with disabilities.

COVID-19 may have changed how we hold events, but we can still honor and remember those we’ve lost to filicide this year. This would not be possible without the vital work of our volunteer site coordinators. Click here to learn about what site coordinators do, or to sign up to lead a virtual or in-person vigil.

Vigils should be virtual unless it is safe to do so in-person. We recommend only holding a virtual vigil unless your area has very low rates of COVID-19 per capita, as well as low community transmission. Do not hold an in-person vigil unless it is safe to do so. In this year’s toolkit you can find instructions for organizing a virtual vigil as well as an in-person one. If your area has low rates of COVID-19 per capita and high vaccination rates, as well as low community transmission, you may be able to hold an in-person vigil. Given the lower chance of transmission outdoors, you may be able to hold a vigil outside, while observing necessary precautions (masks, six feet apart, etc). Please look at current rates, consult your local government and look at news sources to determine if it is safe. If you are unsure, it is safest to hold a virtual vigil. We can help you plan a virtual event that brings your local disability community together safely and significantly for this important day.

In the year since our last vigil, our community has lost over 60 more people to filicide. These are just the cases that we are aware of – since we began monitoring this issue, we learn about more murders every week. We read the victims’ names, see their photographs, and gather what information we can about their lives. Too often, the criminal justice system has continued to give lighter sentences to family and caregivers who murder disabled people, and the media continues to portray these murders in a sympathetic light.

Since 2012, ASAN and other disability rights organizations have come together to send a clear message that disability is not a justification for violence. ASAN will be hosting a virtual vigil on Wednesday, March 1st, and everyone is welcome. We’re looking for a dedicated group of vigil site coordinators interested in hosting one for your communities around the world, whether virtual or in-person. If you’re interested, sign up to be a Day of Mourning vigil site coordinator here. Please only hold it in-person if it is safe to do so. To learn more about Day of Mourning, see our Anti-Filicide Toolkit.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

PO Box 66122
Washington, DC 20035

 

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