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Regional action to save albinos

On June 13, the world celebrates the human rights of people with albinism as International Albinism Awareness Day. Albinism is a worldwide genetic condition that results in a lack of pigmentation in a person’s hair, skin and eyes.

In southern Africa, people with albinism face grave threats to their lives and human rights.

This day provides an important opportunity to reflect on the situation, to acknowledge progress and to urgently commit to collective action to secure the human rights of all people with albinism.

 

A recent report by the International Bar Association states that hundreds of people with albinism (particularly women and children) in sub-Saharan Africa have been attacked, kidnapped, killed and mutilated and their remains desecrated in their graves to obtain and sell people’s body parts to be used in witchcraft rituals.

Amnesty International has documented how children in Malawi have been trafficked, abandoned, killed at birth and are subject to sexual violence  due to myths and superstitions.

People with albinism in the region face intersecting forms of discrimination on the basis of visual impairment, colour, gender and age.

The threat of violence, stigma and prejudice leads many to avoid spaces of social interaction, including schools and work places.

This limits the potential to live their lives fully.

People with albinism experience discrimination in the criminal justice system too, especially systemic failure to protect victims and through issuing heightened sentences against people with albinism on the basis of their condition.

In this context, it is important to acknowledge progress made in the last year.

The leadership of the United Nations’ independent expert Ikponwosa Ero has provided vital energy for a consultative and coordinated process to rally regional action.

This month, she released a report detailing the role of witchcraft in attacks.

In collaboration with the African Commission and a number of key stakeholders, Ero has released a comprehensive Regional Action Plan (2017-2021) that focuses on prevention, protection, accountability and equality and non-discrimination, setting out 15 concrete measures for coordinated State action.

The last year has also seen some progress in criminal justice responses at national levels.

In Malawi, with support from the United Nations, the government has undertaken action to improve the criminal justice system’s response to violence against people with albinism. This has included the development of a handbook to help investigators, prosecutors and magistrates to deal with offences perpetrated against persons with albinism, and the promulgation of amendments to the Penal Code and Anatomy Act.

In South Africa, a spiritual leader was successfully prosecuted for planning the murder of a young woman with albinism.

The conviction in South Africa was welcomed by Ero as one of the first instances where the person organised the crime was prosecuted.

While effective and rights-affirming criminal justice responses must be pursued in all States, the heavy hand of the criminal justice system is not enough.

States are obligated under human rights law to take action to address the underlying causes of violence against people with albinism.

As stated by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 2013, States should also cooperate on regional and international levels to protect people with albinism.

The Regional Action Plan provides a new source of hope for joint action to effectively fulfil and protect the rights of people with albinism in southern Africa.

We call on States to urgently implement the Plan in full in the hope that 13 June 2018 gives us more to celebrate. n

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