The United Nations special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, in his report to the UN Human Rights Council, said that people with disabilities in Ghana are frequently detained in inhumane conditions in psychiatric hospitals and spiritual healing centers known as “prayer camps”.

He documented cases of shackling and denial of food and water to people with disabilities, including children as young as 7. Human Rights Watch issued a report in 2012 with similar findings.

“The UN expert’s report shows the urgent need for Ghanaian government oversight of prayer camps and mental hospitals where people with disabilities are suffering horrific abuse,” said Shantha Rau Barriga, disability rights director at Human Rights Watch. “The government needs to bring shackling, forced treatment, and other abuses of people with disabilities to an end.”

Mendez reported observing people with mental disabilities who had been shackled for prolonged periods to prevent them from escaping or exhibiting aggressive behavior. As he noted, international law does not permit restraining people with mental disabilities on these grounds.

Having been paralysed in a car crash myself when I was 18, and now working as a journalist, I decided to travel to Ghana with a BBC film crew to find out exactly was going on. My experience left me heartbroken and shocked, not only because of what we uncovered whilst we were there, including the chaining, confinement, torture and ritualistic killing of children and adults with disabilities but also because almost very little is being done.

The documentary is called 'The World's Worst Place to be Disabled?' and airs at 9pm on BBC Three 28th July.

I am now calling on the Ghanaian Government to stop the chaining or shackling of adults and children with disabilities.