The Centre for People’s Right Empowerment Initiative, (CPRI), has expressed grave worry about the negative names or references given to persons living with disabilities and mental health conditions in the Upper West Region and across the country.
The Programme Coordinator at CPRI, Dominic Wunigura said after a consultative meeting with stakeholders, it came to light that in the Upper West Region, there are about 36 offensive names that are used to refer to persons living with disabilities and persons living with mental health conditions. Out of the entire figure, 18 of those negative references are used for persons living with mental health conditions.
He said this when he spoke to A1 Radio at Wa.
“It will interest you to know that at the community level in the Upper West Region, out of 36 negative names or references that were identified, persons living with mental health conditions had the leading number of about 18. This tells you that persons living with mental health conditions and their families are the most affected,” he said.
In an effort to address the issue of negative language usage, CPRI together with the Ghana Somubi Dwumadie and the UKAID have begun a 12-month programme to educate residents in selected areas in the Upper West Region on the need to use positive language while addressing people living with disabilities and mental health conditions.
According to Mr. Wunigura, the project began with an engagement with persons living with disabilities and mental health conditions. The meeting was to afford the affected group the opportunity to voice out their concerns, identify the names or references they find offensive and find alternatives and more dignifying names for such conditions. CPRI then met with the media to fashion out a roadmap that allows the media to spearhead the campaign through radio programmes and advertisements.
CPRI has also begun meeting with Traditional and Religious Leaders in project communities to seek their support.
According to Mr. Wunigura, one key issue for the traditional and religious leaders was that, rather than focus on just a name change while referring to the affected group, CPRI should as part of its programme sensitize people to using the right body language and tone. Traditional and Religious Leaders in the Nandom Municipality, one of the project areas, shared these sentiments when they were engaged.
The other project areas to be visited are Daffiama-Bussie-Issa, Wa Municipal and Lawra Municipal.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz| Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
