Apart from the lack of economic or employment opportunities, the second major problem for women with albinism in the northern part of Ghana, particularly the Upper East, is men take advantage of them.
Men, with the false promise of marriage, engage in sexual relationships with women with albinism, get them pregnant and then abandon them.
In most cases, the men, with the excuse of not wanting people to know about their relationships for fear of stigma, coax the women with albinism to keep the relationships secret. And that makes it easy for them to deny responsibility in cases of pregnancy.
In a few instances where the men accepted responsibility for the pregnancies, they neglected the care of the children.
The situation is creating double jeopardy for women with albinism in the north, many of whom are not economically engaged.
That is according to the Upper East regional chairperson of the Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism, madam Evelyn Azure.
In an exclusive interview with DisabilityNewsGH, Madam Evelyn Azure revealed that the situation has resulted in the majority of women with albinism in the region becoming single parents.
“The number of women with albinism who are married and are living with their husbands will not reach even five”, she lamented.
Madam Azure, who is herself a victim of the situation, narrated how her baby daddy denied responsibility for their third pregnancy and she had to take care of herself till she gave birth, but the man later took all three children from her.
She said she had not been able to seek justice because she did not have the means to hire the service of a lawyer.
The chairperson further said she did not know any human rights lawyer who provides free service for persons with disabilities in the region.
She lamented that their inability to sue the men was making the men abuse them with impunity.
Madam Evelyn Azure said, she would not want girls with albinism today to suffer the same fate in the future and has, therefore, called on the government to make lawyers available for women with disabilities in the north to protect their human rights.
She also called for support for economic empowerment for women with disabilities in the north, since poverty is one of the reasons why they fall prey to “wicked men”.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
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