By Shaun Heasley
August 11, 2009
Without resources to help them cope, parents in Haiti regularly abandon their children with disabilities at hospitals or on the streets, advocates say.
In a country where starvation is not uncommon, the burden of having a child with a disability is too much to bear for many parents. So, despite recent government efforts — through the creation of an office of inclusion and a public awareness campaign about the capabilities of those with disabilities — abandonment is a regular occurrence. The practice is fueled by the stigma many Haitian parents feel for giving birth to a child with a disability.
It is unclear how many children with disabilities are abandoned each year, but many end up in hospitals where they are left with practically nothing to do all day.
Advocates are pushing the government to do more and recently implored former President Bill Clinton, who is now the United Nation’s special envoy to Haiti, to take up their cause, reports The Miami Herald. To read more click here.
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/08/11/haiti/4551/
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