The Executive Director of Disability Not A Barrier Initiative, DINABI, Nig. Mr. Olajide Funso Benjamin, has cautioned parents and guardians against slapping children or wards, warning that a single act of corporal punishment could result in permanent disability.
Benjamin gave the charge in Ado-Ekiti during a one-day capacity building workshop for duty bearers on “Climate Change, Inclusion, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” organised by DINABI and Ekiti state Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
Citing real-life cases, the DINABI boss said many Nigerians acquired disabilities not from birth but from preventable domestic abuse and medical negligence.
His words:
” I moved fom ability to disability though injection. And not paying prompt attention to the effect. Even a lot of deaf people were only slapped. Be careful, Don’t slap you kids! A girl was living with her aunty, the aunty’s husband slapped her and it started gradually. Now, she is deaf! She is beginning to have issues with her eyes .”
He urged the people including the media to avoid the use of derogatory words in describing persons with disabilities
“We have documented a case of a 9-year-old boy in Ilawe-Ekiti who was slapped by an uncle for bed-wetting. The slap affected his eardrum. Today, he is completely deaf in his left ear,” Benjamin told participants.
He added: “Another child in Ikole was hit on the head with a wooden spoon by a caregiver. She developed internal bleeding in the eye. By the time her parents took her to hospital, the retina had detached. She is now in critical condition and doctors say she may lose her sight permanently. These are not folktales. They are files in our office.”
In an emotional moment, Benjamin shared his own story to drive home the need for vigilance in child care.
“I was not born with a disability. When I was about three years old, I had malaria and was taken to a chemist. The attendant gave me an injection. My mother said I cried non-stop and my leg became stiff. There was no instant precaution, no follow-up. By the time we got to a proper hospital, the damage was done. That injection affected my nerves and I have lived with mobility impairment ever since” he said.
“If my parents had known to ask questions, to demand to see a doctor, to watch for side effects, maybe my story would be different. That is why I tell every parent today: your child’s body is not a drum to beat when you are angry. A slap can burst an eardrum. A blow to the head can cause brain injury. A wrong injection can change destiny. Be vigilant. Ask questions. Protect them
“Disability is not always an act of God. Sometimes it is an act of anger, an act of ignorance, or an act of carelessness. When we talk about climate change, we must also talk about the climate in our homes. A violent home is a harsh climate for a child. And children with disabilities suffer worse during floods, heatwaves, and displacement because we failed to protect them when they had no voice_,” he added.
“So I beg you, duty bearers: go back and tell your communities , discipline is not destruction. Correct a child, don’t damage a child. And when they are sick, don’t patronize quacks. A five-minute decision can create a 50-year disability. I am a living witness”
The workshop, supported by the Ekiti State Ministry of Environment and attended by the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, focused on ensuring that climate adaptation plans capture the needs of persons with disabilities.
Participants resolved to create “disability desks” in local emergency management committees and to sensitize parent-teacher associations on non-violent discipline.