Ghana, which has many beggars roaming its streets, has outlawed begging and warned that offenders would be arrested. A Senior Consultant at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Mr. Roger Oppong Koranteng said, “Any person found begging and any person wandering or placing himself in any premises or place for the purpose of begging shall be arrested by a Police Officer without a warrant and shall be liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment not exceeding three months or to both.”
Mr. Koranteng stated this at a public forum in Accra for Persons With Disabilities (PWD) as part of the activities marking the Third National Constitution Week on the general theme: “A Decade of Constitutionalism in Ghana – Strategies for Consolidation.”
He said most beggars were physically challenged while others carried babies, which in itself is a violation of the Child Labour Laws, and advised the PWDs to desist from the practice.
Speaking on “The Rights and Duties of Persons With Disabilities Under Constitutional Rule,” Mr. Koranteng said disabled persons had the right to live with their families or with foster parents and to participate in social, creative, or recreational activities. He said article 29, sections 1 to 8 underscores the rights of PWDs and urged the participants to study it.
The Senior Consultants also identified designs of major structures, lack of awareness on the fundamental human rights of PWDs, cultural practices, and traditions, lack of accurate information on PWDs as some of the hindrances in the promotion and development of the disabled. Mr. Koranteng recommended the formation of a network of national organisations or assemblies of disabled people to promote their interest.
The president of the Ghana Association of the Blind, Dr. B. I. Koray advised PWDs to adhere to the Constitutional provision and not to use their handicap and disability to flout the law.
