EDITORIAL
www.myjoyonline.com reports that a two-year-old boy with autism was buried alive by his grandfather last Friday.
The shocking incident happened at Dutch Komenda in the Central.
Due to the boy’s condition, his 70-year-old grandfather considered him a spirit child and buried him at the shores of the coastal town.
But, for the timely intervention of the police, he would have died.
Many residents have described the incident as barbaric and reprehensible.
Police Commander in Elmina, Supt Abraham Bansah disclosed that the suspect, Kwaku Baah perpetrated the act under the direction of a spiritualist.
“The advice was given to them by one ritualist called Kwaku Baa. He is on the run,” he said.
Supt. Bansah told JoyNews that the parents of the child have been arrested with their grandfather for conspiracy.
“They both conspired with the boy’s grandfather called Kwaku Baah who is 70 years and they did that. So they have all been arrested and they are in our custody,” he said.
The Daily Searchlight is dismayed by this report, and at the level of ignorance that can lead people to commit such an act.
Autism a developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour. It is not curable in many instances, but if handled properly, can lead to long and economically fruitful lives. Children with autism are often special, and see things from uniquely different perspectives. In some ways, they can be a blessing to families, even though they are hard to live with and maintain.
We believe that this incident happened principally because of ignorance about the condition. Many people with such children believe them to be insane, which is not helpful.
Our advice to the general public, when they have children with special needs, to consult expert medical people, who can diagnose the problem, and connect parents and guardians to the appropriate authorities.
Again, there is a lot of social support these days, and it is necessary, when people are faced with such difficulties, to seek out and find support from those who have lived with such children, and know how to take care of them.
We thank God the child survived.
(The Daily Searchlight appears every day on the newsstands and for sale 24 hours every day and all week on www.ghananewsstand.com. Visit www.ghananewsstand.com for a wide variety of newspapers published in Ghana and from across the world.)
