By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Oct 8, GNA – Mrs Georgina Aberese-Ako, the Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Children, has advised parents against locking up their children born with certain disabilities.
She said such a practice had over the years limited the abilities and potentials of such children, who could contribute significantly to transformation of their families, communities and the country.
She said every child had unique qualities, hence, parents and stakeholders needed to create an enabling and inclusive environment and the right guidance to unearth their potential for sustainable growth and development.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, Mrs Aberese-Ako said parents often hid their children with special needs, saying such act was not only a violation of the rights of such children enshrined in the country’s laws and international conventions but also a threat to global and national efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“In certain times, children with deformities are locked up in the room by their parents because they do not want people to know the kind of children they have.
“So, you can be in a community and you will never know that such a child is around but we are saying that every child has a right no matter how he or she was born and should be treated fairly, we should not discriminate against such a person because of the condition,” she added.
The Regional Director noted that apart from providing the right food and nutrition for the healthy growth of children with special needs, parents must endeavour to provide equal education to such children and allow them the right to association.
“When other children are playing, they should be encouraged to play with them because it is all part of the upbringing but when they are neglected and isolated, the trauma that they go through can affect them,” she stressed.
GNA