“Albinos are being hunted in Africa!” Headlines like these are not uncommon these days. They sound sensationalist but in fact reflect a grim reality: that in some countries, people with albinism are being attacked—usually with machetes and knives—for the purpose of obtaining their body parts. These attacks are based on a witchcraft-led belief that the body parts of people with albinism can lead to wealth and good luck when used in potions. This in turn has led to a black market trade in body parts and even, in some instances, to robbing the gravesites of persons with albinism. Body parts are reportedly sold for hundreds or thousands of US dollars. Surely, if poverty is moving people to attack their fellows who look different, then the prices of these body parts implicates the involvement of a relatively wealthy elite.
Albinism is a genetic condition that results in a significant deficiency or absence of melanin in any or all of the skin, hair and eyes. There are various kinds of albinism but the most common type—and the one that has led to those with albinism being attacked—is when all of the skin, hair and eyes are affected so that the person stands out in her family and community. Both mother and father must carry the gene for albinism for it to be passed on to a child. It can be inherited even when both parents do not have the condition. In such an instance, there is 25 percent chance at each pregnancy that the child will have albinism. Albinism generally causes vision impairment to varying degrees in each individual. It also causes strong susceptibility to skin cancer where precautions are inadequate or inaccessible. The frequency of albinism varies by region with North America and Europe having roughly 1 in 17,000 affected. In several parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the frequency can be as high as 1 in 1,500. This is also the region where all physical attacks have been reported to date with civil society reporting over 400 attacks across 25 countries in the region, counting from 2007. These are only reported cases; the actual number of attacks is likely higher.
In response to the attacks, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed several resolutions from 2013 onwards, condemning the attacks and highlighting the discrimination that has led to the attacks. Further, in 2013 the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted an important resolution in 2013 (resolution 263) listing steps that implicated states should take to protect persons with albinism. Most recently, in March 2015, the UN human rights council established the mandate of independent expert on enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism; a post which I assumed in August 2015.
