Jeanne Uwamariya’s firstborn Gloria Abijuru was born with a physical disability. The father to her children with whom they were not legally married abandoned his family when Abijuru was just 3 years old. This meant that Uwamariya would shoulder all the responsibilities of fending for the children alone. Challenged by domestic pressures, she was forced to withdraw Abijuru from school more especially because it was far away from their home. The Bugesera-based mother of two told The New Times; “I had to bear all the family responsibilities alone, which was not easy.” Thanks to the help from a local non-government organisation Abijuru was later able to return to school. The organisation pays for her transport expenses to and from school. According to the new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), globally, there are nearly 240 million children with disabilities. But not all of them are fortunate to get help like Abijuru. The report was released on Nov. 11. It shows that fewer children with disabilities attend early childhood education than their peers without disabilities, and this disparity is more pronounced among girls. Children who are three and four years who attend early childhood education programme are 27 per cent among the children without function disabilities compared to 19 per cent among children with one or more functional difficulties, where the number of boys exceeds the number of girls by two per cent. The gap is also noticeable in secondary education or higher, where 38 per cent of the children without function disabilities attended, while only 29 per cent of those with disabilities attended. “Regardless of education level, children with disabilities are more likely to be out of school than children without disabilities,” the report reads in part, adding “Out-of-school rates increase during secondary school and are higher among children with multiple disabilities; rates are highest among children with severe disabilities.” It shows that the number of children with one or more severe functional difficulties, without anxiety or depression symptoms who drop out of primary school exceeds the number of Children without functional difficulties by 23 per cent, by 20 per cent in lower secondary, and by 31 per cent in upper secondary. “In some countries and areas, children with disabilities are more likely to be out of primary school than children without disabilities. Lower maternal education and living in rural areas or in the poorest households are strongly associated with being out of school, for children with and without disabilities,” the report revealed. The report does not only cover education but also covers more than 60 indicators of child wellbeing, from nutrition and health, to access to clean water and sanitation, protection from violence and exploitation. Children with disabilities in the Covid-19 response As the world continued to grapple with Covid-19, UNESCO says that children with disabilities are 22 per cent less likely to have improved sanitation facilities in their households compared with children without disabilities. They are also 21 per cent less likely to have water and soap for handwashing in their households, 1.6 times more likely to have symptoms of acute respiratory infection, 1.4 times more likely to have a fever, and 1.9 more likely to have diarrhea. “Children with disabilities may face a heightened risk of exposure to the virus, along with complications and death due to underlying conditions and pre-existing vulnerabilities,” reads the report. “They are at higher risk of contracting the virus because they are more likely to live in congregate care and to be unable to practice preventive measures, such as the wearing of masks, handwashing and physical distancing.” In addition, it shows that overwhelmed health systems have prompted concern that children and adults with disabilities will be discriminated against in triage and suffer worse health outcomes due to poor medical care. The report recaps that every child has the right to be counted, the right to survive and thrive, the right to a nurturing family environment the right to learn, the right to protection from violence and exploitation, right to a safe and clean environment, the right to a fair chance in life, the right to a happy life, free from discrimination.
