Who then hears the cry of these ill- treated, discriminated , mistreated & forgotten children?
Mothers dump disabled babies in dustbins; young, needy and powerless little ones.
They find themselves in forced labour: deserted, naked and starving.
Disabled and forgotten, many children with special needs are unable to understand their helplessness.
Others roam the streets of African cities begging and eating off the waste from rich families. Some are beaten, burnt and murdered in cold blood.
Indeed, some of the streets are like battlefields especially in the world’s cities, with young ones wielding knives and guns.
Who knows what it means to a disabled child to live with AIDS, to lose a father, then a mother soon after, then uncle and aunt who took them in? who can penetrate the mental darkness of little ones sexually molested and sentenced to a life of pain and bitterness?
Who see eyes of tears and pain as the hurting disabled child look at the parents she loved, the caretaker she once trusted, now become a best she does not recognize?
Who understands the trauma of disabled children living amidst the sound, and hopelessness of war, learning to fight and defend their young siblings with muscles and wit; displaced refugees seeking a sanctuary, famine and drought? Who is willing to comprehend and carry the hurt and agony of these helpless, innocent and frightened ones? Who will restore their robbed childhood before its too late?
Some one must hear their desperate cry- a cry for unconditional love and acceptance, for counseling and therapeutic interventions that bring hope and restore developmental milestones. Society is called upon not to only provide avenue of care but also to protect disabled children from abuse because they represent the continuity of human life, the rebirth of their parents, the link between what was and what will be.
Ugandans your love to us is the last and best hope. You are the first step in protecting disabled children and don’t leave the responsibility to only people from outside countries since we are the future of this country. Act exemplary to them they will have all the guts to support us in all ways.
For God and my Country.