CHILDREN WITH DISABILITY
A child with disability refers to a child who has physical incapacity either congenital or caused by injury or disease. Some disabilities are so visible and some are much less visible.
There are different types of disability;
Mental retardation
Caused by a wide variety of factors eg injury at birth due to serious illness during pregnancy
Cerebral palsy
Results from brain damage, usually before or during birth
Traumatic brain injury
Results from blunt injuries when ones’ head is hit by a fixed or moving object, such as a wind shied or baseball bat
Learning disability
Some children have disabilities that interfere with their ability to read write, spell or do mathematics calculation. They may also have trouble in listening, speaking or thinking. These children appear perfectly normal until they go to school.
Disability has been viewed historical as media problems or personal tragedy. Societies’ prejudices and discrimination were overtly identified as major barriers preventing children with disability from making control of their own lives as were stereotypes pet rayed in the popular.
Form of discrimination against children with disabilities continues to be serious and pervasive social problems in the communities and family too. Discrimination against children with disability persist in families, public accommodation, education, transportation, communication, recreation and health services.
Article 23 of UN convention stipulates that;
“Children have the right to enjoy a full and decent life, they have right to live in way which gives them self confidence, disabled children should not be hidden or laughed at, they should be helped to live independently and to take party in community activities”
Children with disability have the right to special care. The government must make sure that disabled children get special care to help them reach their full potential and become an active part of the community for example in some primary school in Tanzania blind children take part in the same classes as children who can see well .The children who are blind are given assistance by teachers who are trained specifically to help them.
Disabled children have been forced into sexual relationship, raped and sexually abused. However in 1998 the Sexual Offences Special Provision Act was enacted, the community did not streamline any measures to protect disabled children from any form of discrimination.
Awareness should be disseminated to the community and in schools to assist the community to develop a more positive expectation towards children with disability and to cope with the ongoing stress Communit to identify children with disability within their working area and to register them so as to have current number of disabled children and the assistance they need eg special school etc.
Since 1991 the government has made a lot of progress towards promoting and protecting the right of children with disability. However the government still has a long way to go towards fulfilling children’s right. Not all children’s rights in Tanzania are respected. The government in collaboration with Non Governmental Organization have to work hard to improve the situation, let us work together to promote and protect the rights of all children with disability
