The project coordinator at Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations, Christopher Agbega, has said there has been a rise in the stigmatization against Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) since Ghana started recording cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19).
He said PWDs, especially person with albinism are being tagged as Covid-19 patients for no reason due to the influx of fake news on the internet and other platforms.
“People with albinism are being tagged with the virus. There is a lot going on that’s not really in the public domain,” he told Berla Mundi on TV3’s COVID-19 360 Tuesday August 11.
Star-Ghana has been a campaign drive against the stigmatization of PWDs, especially during the times of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the conversation was situated within that context.
Regarding the upsurge of fake news on social media about COVID-19, the Project Coordinator of Media Foundation for West Africa’s Fact -Check project, Adizatu Moro Maiga, said “the need for more information fueling the spread of fake news.”
According to her, the mode of communicating to the public on the COVID-19 initially was problematic because there was not no interpreter to send the message to PDWs with hearing impairment.
“There is a challenge of getting information to people with disability. A coordinated effort from government and civil societies can close this gap.”
By Edem Tutu|3news.com|Ghana