Disability, sexuality and the law: discussing sexual assistance in a comparative perspective

Abstract

Disabilità, sessualità e diritto: una prospettiva comparata sull'assistenza sessuale – This article aims to discuss sexual assistance for people with disability in a comparative legal perspective. Sexual assistance is being discussed as tool to tackle discrimination against people with disability in the field of sexuality. Its definition, however, is still controversial amongst scholars. At the same time, from the legal point of view, sexual assistance is not subjected to autonomous regulation. On the contrary, its discipline depends on the regulation of sex work and a crucial role is played by social actors and grassroots organization. In this perspective, it is possible to theorize the existence of two legal approaches towards sexual assistance in Europe.