The Lagos State Government has said mothers with disabilities and mothers of children with special needs should be appreciated and protected with policies to curb stigmatisation.
The General Manager, Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs, Mr Dare Dairo, made this call, according to a statement on Sunday, during an event organised to celebrate mothers and children with disabilities in Lagos.
He said, “The essence of today’s programme is to celebrate our mothers because all the eulogies about mothers are incomplete without infusing special salutations for mothers who catered to children with special needs. Their immense contributions to society can’t be ignored; the world today must continue to appreciate their efforts with policies and programmes that discourage stigmatisation.
“Mothers receive more pressure when facing difficulty in childbearing, but when they eventually give birth and the children are suffering any form of disability, it would be another kettle of fish and many marriages have crashed as a result of this and when the children are growing the women bear the challenges alone, so we need to let them understand that they are appreciated.”
One of the speakers at the event, Mrs Folasade Ajayi, said, “Living with disabilities is not the guarantee for failure and stagnation, you are all warriors and overcomers.”
