POLIO AND THE BIBLE

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2000. 

Ghana is such a free country that some Ghanaians are misusing their freedom to trample upon the rights of Ghanaian children. And the Holy Bible is the weapon these selfish people are employing to kill the innocent children in the name of religion.

On Wednesday, January 26, 2000, the National Commission on Children (GNCC) launched this year's State of the World's Children Report at the Golden Tulip, here in Accra. The official launching of the Report, which is said to be published annually by the UNICEF to focus on efforts being made to address issues affecting the welfare of children and to monitor the progress being made to improve their lot throughout the world, was performed by the Hon. Minister of Communications, Mr. John Mahama (MP).

As expected, Mr. Mahama used the occasion to remind the august audience that apart from the usual six childhood killer diseases including Polio, Whooping-Cough, Measles, Tetanus, Yellow Fever and Tuberculosis is the latest and the most dreadful incurable destroyer is the stubborn HIV/AIDS which has no mercy for children at all. He drew people's attention to the fact that in his 2000 Sessional address, the President made a particular reference to the HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and gave a hint as to what government would do to tackle the epidemic in the course of the year.

In most cases it is the untoward behaviour of some adults who indulge in uncontrolled sexual intercourse here and there like pigs which give HIV/AIDS to the innocent children any way.

One inhuman treatment adults have been meting out to children, which Hon. Mahama lamented about was the cruel mobilisation and recruitment of children who are forced to engage in nonsensical ethnic wars and conflicts in some parts of the world. Most of these child soldiers do not even know why they are fighting in the bush.

And they get killed "by heart".  As a matter of fact, in some conflict zones in Africa such as Angola, Congo, Sierra Leone, Burundi and Rwanda, etc. displaced children and refugees are often seen with wooden beds, straw mattresses, urine pots and cooking utensils, on their heads roaming in the jungle day and night under scorching sun or torrential rains, heading to unknown destinations.

How pathetic? During the Sierra Leonean civil war, children were reported to have been forced by rebel soldiers to join their ranks to fight government forces.

Here, little boys were forced to snuff dangerous drugs such as cocaine and heroin and smoke wee or marijuana, upon which guns and other deadly weapons were thrashed into their tiny hands to shoot and kill human beings.

As for little baby girls who could not walk to the war front, their tender writs were chopped off like carrot and whatever happened to the pieces of their palms and fingers, only Jesus knows. What crime have such innocent children committed to be subjected to such cruel and barbaric treatments at the hands of adults in this world of peace and love?

In Ghana, although the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified and the Children's Act (560) of 1998 has been promulgated whereby the nation is under obligation to protect and promote the rights of children in the country, some unscrupulous citizens take delight in causing unnecessary hardships and suffering to children leading to their untimely death.

One typical example is that in January this year when the Polio Immunisation Programme was launched, some so-called Christians who are more church-goers than anything in a certain village in the Ho District in the Volta Region took cover behind the Holy Bible to prevent their children from being immunised. It took the courage and determination of the Ho District Chief Executive, Capt. Nfodjoh to mobilise the police to force those Holy- ghost-possessed church members to let their children have drops of the polio vaccine into their mouths. Capt. Nfodjoh deserves commendation.                   

But I wonder if Jesus will open the Heaven gate to those self-proclaimed Christians. Is it not unfortunate that in the year 2000, which is supposed to be a magic year of health for all, some ignorant people are using the name of Jesus and the Christian Bible to commit crimes against the Ghanaian Child?

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2000.