A GNA Feature by Patience Atipoka Atuah
Accra, Oct. 27, GNA – – Nana Yaa is a 12-year-old pupil at a school in Ghana. She is the only girl with a disability in her school. Like every child, she deserves to learn in a safe environment, free from violence, discrimination, and fear.
However, an incident in her life could have ended her education, highlighting the challenges girls with disabilities face in accessing justice and protection.
VOWAC Ghana, an organization that advocates for women and girls with disabilities, visited her school and could not help but share Nana Yaa’s painful story.
Nana Yaa has difficulty speaking and expressing herself. One day, while her mother was away at the market, an intruder entered their home and sexually abused her. Her attempts to call for help were unsuccessful because of her communication difficulties. After the incident, she tried to communicate what had happened to her mother, but no immediate action was taken.
Fear, stigma, and the perpetrator’s influence within the community reportedly prevented her family from speaking out.
Despite these challenges, Nana Yaa found the courage to tell her class teacher what had happened. The teacher took her concerns seriously and involved the District Girl Child Coordinator, who helped ensure that the matter was reported. The case proceeded through the justice system, and the perpetrator was subsequently convicted and imprisoned.
However, the struggle for safety did not end there. Nana Yaa’s family, her teacher, and the District Girl Child Coordinator have reportedly continued to receive threats from individuals associated with the perpetrator.
Their experience highlights the risks that survivors, families, and those who advocate for justice can face when challenging sexual violence. Nevertheless, Nana Yaa remains in school, demonstrating the importance of support systems that help girls with disabilities continue their education despite such adversity.
Nana Yaa’s story reflects the urgent need for initiatives such as the Strengthening Partnerships to Advance Disability Rights in Africa, (SPADRA )Project, implemented by the Voices of Women and Children with Disabilities in Ghana (VOWAC Ghana) with support from Inclusion Africa.
TheSPADRA project focuses on advancing gender and disability rights, strengthening organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), and improving access to justice, social protection, and inclusive education for women and girls with disabilities in the Ga West Municipality by strengthening the capacity of schools, duty bearers, parents, caregivers, and community members to protect their rights and promote their participation in education.
For girls like Nana Yaa, access to justice begins with being heard, believed, and supported. Communication difficulties should never prevent a child from reporting abuse or receiving protection.
Teachers and other relevant stakeholders must be equipped to respond appropriately to disclosures of abuse, use accessible communication methods, and connect survivors to the necessary protection and justice services.
Through awareness creation and the use of SPADRA guidelines and toolkits, the project seeks to strengthen understanding of the rights of girls with disabilities and promote safer, more inclusive school environments.
Community support is equally important. Parents, caregivers, traditional and religious leaders, teachers, and other community members must work together to challenge stigma, discourage the protection of perpetrators, and ensure that survivors and their families are not isolated or intimidated.
Every girl with a disability deserves to be heard, protected, and educated. When justice systems respond effectively, schools provide safe environments, and communities stand together, girls like Nana Yaa have a better chance of continuing their education and building the futures they deserve.
GNA
Ms Patience Atipoka Atuah is a Disability Inclusion Officer and Project Manager at VOWACC Ghana
Edited by Hannah Awadzi/Kenneth Odeng Adade