User:MJ Yake/sandbox

The Ghana Statistical Service reports from their 2021 census indicate that approximately 8 percent (2,098,138 individuals) of the Ghanaian population experience some form of disability, with a higher prevalence among females (8.8%) than males (6.7%) ^[1]. Disabilities are more common in rural areas (9.5%) compared to urban areas (6.5%)^[1]. Among the six domains of disability, difficulty in seeing is the most widespread, affecting 4.0% of the population, while difficulty in communicating is the least common, affecting 1.0%^[1]. Disability issues in Ghana have evolved from a human rights concern to a developmental issue due to its link to poverty ^[2].

In 2006, the government of Ghana passed the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) together with civil organizations and disability movement groups to cover rights, education, healthcare, employment, transportation, housing, medical rehabilitation, information dissemination, and cultural participation ^{[2] [3]}. Ghana has also committed to various international agreements, including the African Decade of Disabled Persons ^{[4] [5]}and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, becoming the 119th country in the world to ratify this convention ^[6] to protect the rights and dignity of people living with disability ^[2]. Although Ghana had signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in March 2007, the government completed the ratification process by August 2012 ^[7].

An estimated five million Ghanaians have disabilities, of which 2.8 million have a mental disability, however only one percent of the country's health budget is earmarked for mental health services.^[7]

Despite the national policies and efforts of advocacy groups to advance the well-being of people living with disabilities in Ghana, they still face stigma, which stems from a lack of understanding about disability, societal attitudes, misconceptions and cultural beliefs. This stigma contributes to the marginalization and exclusion of this group from fully participating in Ghanaian society, resulting in socio-economic challenges. People with disability in Ghana face significant inequities, including poverty, inadequate access to healthcare and high unemployment rates ^{[8] [9]}. Societal biases in Ghana that view people with disability as less capable often make them unattractive candidates to potential employers ^[8]. Additionally, they receive limited educational opportunities and skill development due to insufficient investment in their educational needs ^[3] and stigmatization in schools ^[9].

In some communities in Ghana, children or people who are born disabled or deformed are assumed to be possessed by evil spirits.^[10][11]

In Ghana, a "spirit child" is a disabled child believed to possess magical powers that bring misfortune ^[12]. Disability in Ghana is stigmatized and in some communities, based on the advice of a witchdoctor, a disabled child labelled as a spirit child is killed ^[13]. In the Kassena-Nankana District in Northern Ghana, Spirit children are referred to as chichuru or kinkiriko ^[14]. These children primarily come from poor, rural areas.^[15] However, if a spirit child is considered "good," there are no punishments for the child or their family.^[14]. In 2013, local communities where the practice of killing newborn babies with disability had occurred enacted legislation to prohibit the killing of so-called "Spirit children".^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]}.