People with Disabilities Lament Stigmatisation, Call for Prosecution of Rapists

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) in Bauchi State have lamented that the stigmatisation and maltreatment they encounter in their homes often lead them to beg for alms and eventually get sexually abused.

The representative of a non-governmental organisation, Heal Initiative Development, Aisha Adamu, stated this yesterday in a goodwill message during a one-day programme to mark 16 days of activism organised by the Development Exchange Centre in Bauchi.

She said: “Most of the challenges we often face come from our parents firstly and then the community. For example, when parents give birth to a disabled child, they begin to maltreat them as if they are not humans. Their needs are not being catered for and they are treated with disdain.

“It is from there that we start facing this stigmatisation in our hearts, and low self-esteem that since we are not being catered for even by our immediate family, then we are not useful in the society. When a child faces such stigmatisation from home, he’s not sent to school, his needs are not provided for and because he is humiliated and despised at home, they end up begging on the streets, especially the female child.

“The moment she starts begging for alms, miscreants will take the advantage to abuse her sexually, emotionally and sometimes even physically. This happens because they see you cheaply looking dirty without help and they take advantage of you.

“Even if they rape you and impregnate you, nobody will fight and get justice for you because you are a disabled person, as if it was your making. So, we call on the government to also prosecute perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence to serve as deterrent to others.”

Also speaking, the Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Bauchi State office, Yachi Dala, lamented the rising cases of violence at home, pointing out that children end up being affected.

According to him, “We have rising cases of domestic violence. Most of the cases we have are spouse beating their spouse; apart from physical violence, there is also psychological, emotional and economic violence where a spouse is deprived of going out to work or intentionally depriving them of upkeep of the family. The children are most affected because of their vulnerability.

“When there is an issue between parents, the children may not be directly involved, but it will always affect them. Denial of access to children is also another form of violence.

“We have found out that people don’t come out to report cases of violence because of the shame it will bring in the family; the family doesn’t want the society to know that one of their own has been sexually violated. So, there’s pressure from the family not to speak out but even when these cases are reported, it’s the same family that would go and withdraw such cases.

There is also the fear of reprisal from the perpetrators. The perpetrators may threaten the family or the victim. We also have cases where when the victim identifies the perpetrator, he would lodge a complaint of defamation of character.

“Lack of accountability is also another issue. Perpetrators are not held accountable, so that discourages others from reporting because they feel when they come out to report, they won’t get justice.”

Dala called on the government to be proactive, saying: “It’s a call to action, and it’s not just the government alone but every stakeholder. For the government, where there are laws, they should implement them and should have the political will to ensure that those laws are implemented, as well as hold perpetrators accountable.

The Head of Programmes, DEC, Samuel Yalmisun, said the programme was organised to create awareness on the dangers of gender-based violence which mostly affect women and girls.