Let’s protect females with cerebral palsy, autism from sexual abuse

People with special needs should, normally be treated with a lot of compassion and so for right-thinking persons, to see these unfortunate people suffer should induce tears.

However, there are other members of society who have instincts that make them treat the unfortunate people with indescribable cruelty.

Even bestiality cannot come close to that kind of cruelty; that behaviour of men with warped minds who would stoop so low by sleeping with women and girls living with cerebral palsy, autism and other forms of disabilities.

It is reported that at Akyem Tafo in the Abuakwa North Municipality of the Eastern Region, such unfortunate females have become targets of sexual abuse.

Is it not abnormal and shameful on the part of these men in Akyem Tafo who employ coercion and financial inducements to trap these unfortunate females and sexually abuse them?

What is worrying is that these men feel normal and wish to have their reputation intact, so, they do everything possible, including ‘bribes’ and threats to make their victims keep quiet over their ordeals’.

What they fail to acknowledge is that these females have undeveloped brains and so would not understand the whole thing.

It is heartwarming that, at least, one perpetrator, identified as 59-year-old Francis Mensah (aka Papa Tailor), has been arrested and granted police enquiry bail of GH₵‎5,000 by the Tafo police.

That gives hope that the other perpetrators can be found out one day.

We suggest that, when arrested, the perpetrators must be subjected to psychiatric examination to ascertain their mental health.

Probably, they are mentally ill, including losing their senses of compassion, shame, fellow-feeling, and thinking right, otherwise they would, at least, analyse the harm their dastardly acts would bring on the victims and their families.

If it turns out that the perpetrators are mentally healthy, then they have to be made to face the law.

Besides, while they face the law, they or their families must be made to take care of the victims and the children they father in certain cases.

It is on record that some of the victims contract diseases from their sexual attacks and these cannot be left to be taken care of by the victims’ families only.

That way, families and the whole community would help in protecting these unfortunate females from the abuse of evil men.

Families of these unfortunate people alone cannot ensure the safety of their children and relatives with these mental disabilities.

Sometimes, they too, being human and endowed with the gift of mobility, would like to move around to explore their environment.

Some can even be asked to undertake some chores that can take them out and so, it should be the responsibility of all good members of the community to protect them from harm’s way.

It is strange that while the headmistress of OPASS Special Unit School at Tafo, Mrs Charity Yaa Otu, says sexual abuse is common among students with special needs, the Head of the Social Welfare Department in the Abuakwa North Municipality, Percy Nimako-Yamoah, claims he is unaware of such abuses.

Does it mean such cases are not reported?

Whatever the case is, henceforth, Social Welfare Department, the various district assemblies, the National Commission on Civic Education, community leaders, families and the police should collaborate to check the abuse of the unfortunate females everywhere in the country and save them and their families the related trauma.