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Disability in Ghana
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].
Policy and legislation
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]
Stigma and inequities around disability
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]
Spirit children documentary
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].
- ^ a b c "Ghana Statistical Services". www.statsghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ a b c "Ghana Statistical Services". statsghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ a b Opoku, Maxwell Peprah; Nketsia, William (2021-01-01). "'Nothing about us, without us': Voices of leaders of disabled people's organisation in management of disability fund". Social Sciences & Humanities Open. 4 (1): 100160. doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100160. ISSN 2590-2911.
- ^ "Africa's disabled will not be forgotten". Africa Renewal. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Mureriwa, Juliet (2011-11-01). "Some reflections on the draft African Disability Protocol and socio-economic justice for persons with disabilities : feature 1". Sabinet African Journals. 12 (3).
- ^ "Ghana: Disability Rights Convention Ratified | Human Rights Watch". 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ a b "Ghana: Disability Rights Convention Ratified". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ^ a b GNA (2022-11-28). "Persons with Disability and Ghana's economy today". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ a b Mfoafo-M’Carthy, Magnus; Grischow, Jeff D.; Stocco, Nicole (2020-01). "Cloak of Invisibility: A Literature Review of Physical Disability in Ghana". SAGE Open. 10 (1): 215824401990056. doi:10.1177/2158244019900567. ISSN 2158-2440.
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(help) - ^ "Ghana News - The Misrepresentation of Disability - Graphic Online". Graphic.com.gh. 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ^ Reiter, Matthew (2016-10-19). "Restricted: Mental Disability in Ghana - Human Rights Brief". Human Rights Brief. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- ^ Anas, Anas Aremeyaw (10 January 2013). "Spirit Child". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ Issues in Sociology and Social Work: Aging, Medical, and Missionary Research and Application: 2011 Edition. ScholarlyEditions. 9 January 2012. ISBN 9781464966767. Retrieved 30 May 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Allotey, Pascale; Reidpath, Daniel (2001-04-01). "Establishing the causes of childhood mortality in Ghana: the 'spirit child'". Social Science & Medicine. 52 (7): 1007–1012. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00207-0. ISSN 0277-9536. PMID 11266045.
- ^ Bayat, Mojdeh (2014-01-27). "The stories of 'snake children': killing and abuse of children with developmental disabilities in West Africa". Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 59 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1111/jir.12118. ISSN 0964-2633. PMID 24467696.
- ^ "Ghanaians ban 'spirit child' killing". BBC. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ^ "The country where disabled people are beaten and chained". BBC. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ^ "Spirit children of Ghana". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
- ^ "Ghana Bans Killing of Children". Pacific Standard. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
- ^ "Paul Apowida: From Ghanaian 'spirit boy' to UK soldier". BBC. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ^ "Telegraph Christmas Appeal: saving the cursed children of Ghana". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ^ Vivian E D Ampadu. "The Depiction of Mental Illness in Nigerian and Ghanaian movies: A negative or positive impact on mental health awareness in Ghana?" (PDF). Disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2016-09-17.