‘Imprisoned’ at birth: Three Children rescued after 9 years
Three siblings who had been quarantined for nearly nine years by their parents have been rescued by the Madina branch of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.
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They were rescued last Friday after a good Samaritan had drawn the attention of the police to the plight of the children.
The siblings are Isaiah Mensah, eight years old, Isaaca Mensah, six, and Isaana Mensah, two.
Until their rescue, the children had been locked indoors by their parents in a house where they shared their space with livestock.
Apart from their parents, the children knew no one else, as they were not allowed to go out of the house except to accompany their father, once in a while, to play tennis or follow their mother to her workplace every Sunday to learn how to type.
The only friends the children had were three sheep and a fowl in their adjoining room.
The children have named the three sheep Lee, Matthew and Martha, and the fowl, Genny.
Since they were born, they have not had the benefit of formal education. They were taught English by their father, Mr Sledge Mensah, and French by their mother, Mrs Jane Mensah.
For the first time in their lives, the children attended church service yesterday (Sunday) and had the opportunity to interact with other children at a home in Madina, where they are currently being catered for.
Their parents, who were arrested, have, however, been granted bail by the police, while investigations continue.
An elated Isaiah Mensah told the Daily Graphic that he and his siblings were happy with their new environment.
“At home we are not allowed to have friends, but now we have made friends and we play a lot with them,” he said.
Narrating their ordeal, Master Mensah said he and his siblings were under strict instructions not to speak to any outsider neither were they allowed to ask to go to school.
He said they took their bath every two days and at times, had to bath only when their parents wanted to take them out to the tennis court or the mother’s workplace.
He said it was their parents who taught them English and French lessons, while their mother took them to her workplace to learn typing and shorthand.
Master Mensah appealed to the police to help him and his siblings to go to school.
When the Daily Graphic visited the home of the couple, Mr Mensah was busy repainting one of the rooms of their four-bedroom apartment, while his wife was cooking.
Mr Mensah told the Daily Graphic that he confined the children for personal reasons, which is to give them a good foundation for life.
Mrs Mensah said it was in the best interest of the children that they were confined.
By Zainabu Issah/Daily Graphic/Ghana
