Introduction
There are an estimated one billion people with disabilities globally – approximately 15% of the world’s population. Around 80% of people with disabilities live in low and middle-income countries and one in five of the world’s poorest people have a disability. These numbers are likely to increase in the future as population’s age and chronic conditions that lead to impairment and disability, become more prevalent. Despite millions of people escaping poverty over the last 25 years, the global situation and wellbeing of most people with disabilities, has not improved. The poorest of the poor are increasingly difficult to reach. The growing concentration of poverty and inequality in fragile states like sub-Saharan Africa, alongside other pressing issues such as climate change, war, conflict, humanitarian crises, urbanisation, and unequal access to technology, make the challenge of eradicating poverty even greater. More than half of all people with disabilities live in countries affected by conflict and natural disasters. The remainder of this section will focus down on Kenya to provide a limited insight, a mere glimpse, of the everyday lives of disabled people in one area of sub-Saharan Africa.
Kenya
Belief systems shape everyday lives of disabled people and their families. In Kenya, disability is often believed to be caused by curses or demons, and individuals who have special needs are considered non-human beings. Throughout Kenya, families report that there is a common belief that children born with a disability are ‘cursed, bewitched, and possessed.’ Many believe it is a punishment for the sins of the mother, including being ‘unfaithful’ to her husband. Another common belief is that, if the firstborn has a disability, the baby should be killed if the parents want to have more children.
According to UN Authority on Violence against Children: ‘Witchcraft may also be viewed as a kind of genetic inheritance, with children of accused parents or relatives also suspected of harbouring evil. This leads to increased stigmatization and social isolation not only for the child, but for the whole family who must struggle under a spoiled reputation.’ (Marta Santos Pais).
This belief system contributes to the perpetual abuse, both physical and sexual, of individuals with disabilities. Parents with these beliefs are also less likely to follow professional prescriptions for intervention. Given these societal factors, caregivers of children with disabilities (typically the mother or grandmother or sibling) often experience guilt, low self-esteem, stress, and feelings of helplessness, while struggling to meet the needs of the disabled child.
The inability of the state to provide safe havens for disabled children in, for example, Residential Care Homes, has also been reported. Thousands of disabled children in Kenya – abandoned by their parents due to poverty and stigma – are being neglected and uncared for in orphanages and care homes across east Africa, according to a study by Disability Rights International: “Our research found having a disabled child is a horrible stigma in Kenya. They are a source of fear and shame and are a curse – and parents are pressurized to abandon these children or even kill them,” (Eric Rosenthal, Disability Rights International’s executive director).
Detailed description of a Kenyan Care Home is insightful and harrowing: “At a dilapidated orphanage on the outskirts of eastern Nairobi, children with twisted limbs and clawed hands are slumped in wheelchairs, lie foetal-like on mattresses on the floor, or sit in chairs rocking back and forth repeatedly. The children – ranging from 3 to 19 years old – are devoid of attention and lack stimulation. They look up wide-eyed, moaning and grunting – many unable to speak or move due to illnesses such as cerebral palsy or Down syndrome. A third of the children are not independently mobile and are kept in a room all day. Others with disabilities such as autism wander around a muddy patch of the compound. At 4 pm, they are locked in cramped dormitories – four to a bed – until 6 am.” (Thomson Reuters Foundation, Nairobi). Thousands of disabled children in Kenya – abandoned by their parents due to poverty and stigma – are being neglected and uncared for in orphanages across the east African country, according to a study by Disability Rights International.