There are few Africans who live more vulnerable lives than those with albinism. First, there’s the searing sun, which puts them at much greater risk of skin cancer because albinism involves an absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes.
Second, and more perilously, is the trade in albino body parts that’s given rise to a disturbing wave of killings in recent months. According to a recent Economist article, at least 18 people with albinism have been murdered in the small East Africa country of Malawi in the last year and a half. That’s just the number of reported killings. The actual number may be 60 or more.
The United Nations says that Malawi’s estimated 10,000 albinos face extinction if the murders don’t cease. More broadly, 457 albinos have been attacked because of the color of their skin in the last decade throughout 26 African countries, according to one study.
Albinos have long suffered discrimination in much of the world. But it’s a life or death situation for them in parts of Africa, where albinos were traditionally thought to have magical powers to bring wealth or cure disease. Traditional healers sometimes advance these myths even today.
Many people with this rare genetic condition live in fear, rarely leaving their homes or going out at night. The trouble is, in some cases, the danger lurks closer to home. “Some parents or relatives don’t really value a child with albinism,” Bonface Massah, who leads the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi, told the Economist. “They get tempted by the offer of money.” According to a National Geographic estimate, in Tanzania a complete set of albino body parts can fetch $75,000.
A recent Amnesty International report says Malawi’s government isn’t doing enough to protect them. Of the 18 known murders, none have led to a murder conviction for those involved, and many weren’t even investigated.
But there’s some good news for East Africa’s albinos. According to the Economist, neighboring Tanzania has had success in reducing the number killed by arresting unlicensed traditional healers and severely punishing those who traffic in albino body parts. Public education campaigns and safe houses for children with albinism have also been helpful.
In Kenya, the government provides cancer treatment and sunscreen for people with albinism, and it has established an emergency hotline for reporting attacks. Perhaps most importantly, albinos are encouraged to appear in public. At least one MP and a high court judge have the condition. And as with so many other vulnerable populations, exposure is key.
During a U.N. summit on albinism that ended Monday, countries pledged the do more to protect them, including by working to integrate children with albinism into schools and groups of other kids to foster tolerance.
Daniel Allott is deputy commentary editor for the Washington Examiner
