A report in Swaziland /
eSwatini says a teenager with physical challenges was forced by her family to
live in a shack like a dog.
It demonstrates the extreme
difficulties people with disabilities in the kingdom face. They are often
hidden away because it is thought they are cursed or bring bad luck.
The latest case involving a
17-year-old girl at Mhlaleni in the Manzini Region was reported by the Times of Swaziland on Monday (18 March 2019). She has deformed feet
and has never been able to walk.
The newspaper reported her
stepfather said at first they tried to accommodate her in the family house but
as she was physically challenged she would frequently soil herself if there was
no one around to assist her.
The Times reported, ‘The stepfather claimed that the situation was so
unbearable to a point that they decided to relocate the girl to the make-shift
structure to remedy the situation.’ She has been there for two years.
The Times added, ‘The make-shift structure is constructed out of timber
with spaces in between, allowing cold air into the structure. The structure
also has a leaking roof and during rainy days, water seeps through, a scenario
that poses hazardous effects to the health of the child.’
Her case is not unusual in
Swaziland where people with disabilities are often hidden by their families.
In 2017 Autism Swaziland
Director Tryphinah Mvubu said people with Autism were often excluded from
social services because their parents kept them away from the public in fear of
embarrassment.
The Swazi Observer newspaper reported her saying, ‘Some parents refuse
to accept children with this condition as this disorder is considered to be a
bad omen, hence they are locked in the house day in and day out so they cannot
be seen by members of the community. They are so stigmatised to an extent that
in some cases they are not even counted as members of the family.’
It is not only autistic
children who are hidden. In July 2016, it was reported in local media that two
disabled orphan children in Swaziland had been concealed from the world after a
government official told their family it would harm the image of the kingdom if
people knew of their condition.
It was reported
that the two children aged 16 and eight might be suffering from polio. It was
said they had not walked since they were born and had shrunk muscles and could
only crawl. They both cannot talk.
The abandonment of the
children was one of many examples of poor treatment of people with disabilities
in Swaziland.
A report published by SINTEF Technology and Society,
Global Health and Welfare in 2011
that studied living conditions among people with disabilities in Swaziland,
found, ‘There is a general belief that those who have a disability are
bewitched or inflicted by bad spirits.
‘Many believe that being
around people with disabilities can bring bad luck. As a result, many people
with disabilities are hidden in their homesteads and are not given an
opportunity to participate and contribute to society.’
It also found that people
with disabilities had been abandoned by the Swazi Government. The report
stated, ‘The absence of any comprehensive laws and policies to address people
with disabilities’ access to equal opportunities reflect a lack of political
will and a failure to recognize disability as a human right issue contributes
to the devaluing and dehumanising of people with disabilities.
‘People with disabilities
have the same rights as able-bodied people and they are entitled to enjoy all
citizenry rights.’
See also
Sick
kids 'hidden to save Swazi image'
Hidden
sick kids: UNICEF responds
Disabled
people ‘treated like animals’
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/disabled-people-treated-like-animals.html
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