- Protect our rights, eliminate discriminatory practice against us, left-handers urge Tinubu, others
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The act of compelling left-handers to switch to their right hand has been described as abnormal and one capable of causing the affected children psychological distress and low Intelligent Quotient.
Some medical practitioners who spoke with The Point on the health risks of such practice urged parents and guardians to desist from the act, disclosing that most school children were dull because their left-handedness had been interrupted, which had affected their intelligence negatively.
There are diverse arguments about left-handed individuals. Scientists say they are generally right-brain dominant, meaning that they are often more creative, emotional and think holistically. But research has pointed out that the belief that there is a link between talent and left-handedness is a myth with a long history. It is a popular belief, with varying and contradicting research outcomes.
Notwithstanding, medical experts averred that the act of forcing left-handers to switch to right hand was wrong and capable of causing psychological distress among other health risks.
A psychologist, Femi Adelana, urged parents to desist from tampering with the hand a child uses, saying, “As a psychologist, I can tell you that researches have shown that a child who is being forced to switch from left to right or vice versa is prone to suffering psychological distress.
“What many people don’t know is that the human body has been configured in such a way that one dictates what the other does and one part assists the other to function optimally. For instance, if a child uses left hand, the eye, brain and other vital organs of the body are already connected with the function of the left hand one way or the other. So, when only the hand is forced to switch, there is a kind of confusion in the brain, eye and other parts that are linked to the left hand. This leads to frustration and only the sufferer could explain the extent of the psychological damage. So, people should desist from such act.”
While urging Nigerians to stop believing in the myth that it is weird for a child to use the left hand, a consultant psychiatrist, Abdulrasheed Adigun, said the Intelligent Quotient of a child who uses left hand is altered when such a child is compelled to switch.
He said, “Don’t be surprised that some people are dull, it’s the damage that has been done to their IQ. This mentality about right-handers being better creatures than their left-hand counterparts should be erased.
There is nothing wrong with a child using a left hand. Nothing is bad or bizarre about it. There are people in the world who are famous for being left-handed and they have excelled in their various callings. Barack Obama is one of them. We also have Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, among other lefties.
“If a child is using the left or right hand, allow him, it doesn’t make such a child less human. Parents should stop tampering with the hand the child uses. Let the child function the way his or her brain is wired.
It is wrong for parents to force their children who are lefties to be using right hand. It has its own implication. Parents, teachers should stop forcing kids to use a particular hand. It’s also not wrong for a child to greet, collect or give something to an elderly person with the left hand.”
Another medical expert, Solomon Agbaje said, “We have left hemisphere and right hemisphere of the brain. Right hemisphere controls the left hand and left hemisphere controls the right hand, but in left-handed persons, their right brain controls their right while the left brain controls the left, so, if you force a child to use the right hand, it means you are forcing his brain to function in opposite directions. So, it’s very dangerous to the wellness of those affected if such an act is allowed to continue.”
“Forcing left-handers to switch to the right hand can cause disturbance in concentration, memory and learning of the affected persons. There are also possible problems in reading and writing (dyslexia) and these persons can also start stuttering,” a medical doctor, Kemi Agoyi, noted.
Meanwhile, a group of left-handers have called on President Bola Tinubu and other concerned stakeholders to protect their rights of using the left hand without being discriminated against by members of the public.
They lamented that forcing them to switch to the right hand had been affecting them mentally and that parents and other stakeholders should stop seeing the natural phenomenon of using the left hand as a defect or abnormality.
The Director of a group, Young Queen Innovation, Abisola Lawal, urged Nigerians to end discriminatory practices that required many left-handed individuals, particularly children, to switch to their right hand.
Lawal said left-handedness was a natural occurrence and should not be stigmatised or treated as a defect, adding that lefties had experienced, first-hand, the struggles and discrimination that come with being left-handed in Nigeria.
They called on the President, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, state governors, the National Human Rights Commission, the Federal Ministry of Education, and other relevant authorities and stakeholders to take proactive steps to protect their rights and proffer policies that would eliminate discriminatory practices against them.
“We are deeply concerned about the ongoing maltreatment of left-handed people in Nigeria. It has come to our attention that many left-handed individuals, particularly children, are being forced to switch to their right hand due to societal beliefs and misconceptions. We believe that this practice is not only discriminatory but also violates the basic human rights of left-handed individuals. It is important to note that left-handedness is a natural occurrence and should not be stigmatised or treated as a defect.
“As left-handed individuals ourselves, we have experienced, first-hand, the struggles and discrimination that come with being left-handed persons in Nigeria. Many of us have been forced to conform to societal norms and abandon our natural inclination to use our left hand.
“It is our sincere hope that this petition will bring attention to this issue and prompt action to end the maltreatment of left-handed people in Nigeria. We call on the relevant authorities and stakeholders to take proactive steps to protect the rights of left-handed individuals and eliminate discriminatory practices against them,” Lawal said.
