Disabled children seen as a “curse” in Kenya

Children with disabilities are seen by their neighbourhood as a “curse,” say more than two-thirds of mothers surveyed in Kenya by the humanitarian organization on Disability Rights International.

The two-year study shows that moms are often blamed for the living conditions of their children.

Women with children with disabilities are accused in their entourage of having obtained them for their sins, according to Disability Rights International. One of them told the investigators that her grandmother suggested putting needles in her son’s veins to kill him slowly.

Another explained that she received the offer to drink acid to her child living with a disability, in order to end her life. But Disability Rights International does not mention the proportion of parents who actually ended the life of their disabled child.

But according to information obtained by the BBC, infanticide, which is illegal in Kenya, is still practiced secretly. Infanticide is abandoned by many communities that once practiced it, around the world.