Department worried over maltreatment of disabled children

Sunyani (B/A), June 24, GNA - Mr Hammond Kwarteng, Brong-Ahafo Regio nal Director of the Department of Children on Thursday expressed concern abou t the maltreatment of children with disabilities by some parents.

He noted with regret that reports gathered by the Department indicat ed that the situation had become common in the region and added some parents

even considered such children as a curse and denied them formal education .. Mr Kwarteng was speaking with the Ghana News Agency after he and his

Deputy, Mr George Yaw Ankomah, presented a variety of items worth GH¢1, 000 to the Nyamaah basic school Unit of Specially Needs Children in Sunyani. The items comprised 24 multi-purpose learning tools, a number of toi let rolls, football, box of key bar soap, biscuits, different types of non-alcoholic beverages and quantities of fan ice cream. The donors also presented similar items including two bags of rice, cooking oil and soaps to the center for Women and Children Association, a

Non-Governmental Organisation that has adopted people living with HIV/AID S located at Sunyani Zongo.

Mr Kwarteng said it was an offence punishable by law for parents to lock up their disabled children and deny them formal education and appeal ed to the general public to help to identify and to trace such cases for the

law to take its course. He explained that people with disability were also blessed with tale nts and urged the public to assist to unearth and to harness such talents to make them grow to become assets of the state.

Mr Ankomah explained that the presentation demonstrated the commitme nt and preparedness of the Department to address some basic needs of the vulnerable in society. Mr Anthony Damoah, headmaster of the unit, thanked the donors for th e gesture and assured them that the items would be used for their intended purposes. He said the unit had 28 school children, who were mainly physically and mentally challenged with four teachers and mentioned lack of a classroom block, adequate teaching and learning materials and vehicle as some of it s problems. Mr Damoah added that some of the school children lived outside Sunya ni and because of the lack of transport they did not attend school. He, therefore, appealed to government and other NGOs and philanthropists to come to their aid.