‘Change perception about children with disability’
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Social Welfare in charge of Community Programmes, Mr Augustine Atta Adade, has appealed to society to change its perception about children with disability.
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He said lots of things were mitigating against the progress of the disabled child, and cited the example of name calling where children with disability were referred to by their disability instead of identifying them by their names.
Mr Adade stated this last Saturday during the launch of the African Union Day of the African Child in Kumasi. The programme was organised by a child-centred non-governmental organisation, Compassion International Ghana (CIGH), and was on the theme: ‘Rights of Children with Disabilities: Duty to Protect, to Respect, to Promote and to Fulfil.'
He said many of the educational infrastructures were not disability- friendly and as such did not provide a conducive environment that would encourage children with disability to pursue education.
Equal attention
That notwithstanding, he urged parents with children with disability not to discriminate against them but give them equal attention and opportunities to develop their potential.
He also challenged reality show organisers to give children with disability a chance to showcase their talents, pointing out that although there were laws with provisions guarding against discrimination against children with disabilities, the practice persisted.
He cited the case of reality shows being organised by many event organisers and media houses which were geared towards only the children without disability.
While admitting that the programmes did not prevent people with disabilities from contesting, he was of the view that if a programme or a show was specifically designed for those children with special needs, it would unearth their talents, which could be harnessed to enable them to also contribute their quota to the development of the nation.
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Rights of children
A speech read on behalf of the Country Director of CIGH by the Intervention Administrator, Mr Supreme Wellington Agbovi, said CIGH observed that in spite of various instruments on the rights of children which the country had adopted and signed, there was still low awareness "among Ghanaians about these acts and how they are to protect children".
He said in some of the organisation's partner communities, there had been reported cases of abuse, including sexual abuse against girls where parents had refused to follow up and/or stand by the children, pointing out that a lot more was required of society in order to create the right environment for the development of children.
African Union Day of the Child
The Day of the African Child is celebrated annually on June 16. African Union Day of the Child was first established by the Organisation of African Unity (the forerunner of the African Union) in 1976, in remembrance of the children who lost their lives in a peaceful demonstration in Soweto, South Africa, to demand their rights to education and quality education in their language of choice.