Albinism (PWA) to be discussed in Tanzania
Baku. June 17, AZERTAC
The first-ever regional forum for Action on Albinism in Africa will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 17-19 June. The event hosted by the United Nations Independent Expert on albinism, Ikponwosa Ero will develop specific measures to tackle the attacks and discrimination faced by persons with albinism in several countries in the region.
Persons with albinism in the region of Sub Saharan Africa are facing some of the most extreme forms of human rights violations. They face physical attacks fuelled by erroneous beliefs that their body parts can be used in potions and in other witchcraft practices. A majority of victims are women and children. They also face entrenched discrimination and stigma extending to their family members particularly mothers of children with albinism.
Confronted by these challenges, many civil society organizations, persons with albinism, and states wish to design new ways of dealing with the issues while adopting those that have been tested and true.
“There are a lot of specific, practical, simple and effective measures that some countries have successfully used to tackle the issues faced by persons with albinism including having a dedicated office and budget on the issue, creating a telephone hotline to report crimes and threats, regulating ‘witchcraft’ and traditional medicine practitioners among others,” Ms. Ero said.
“But these ideas have to be shared as best practices and developed into a continental roadmap to successfully tackle the issue,” the human rights expert underscored.
This is why on the heels of international albinism awareness day which just concluded on June 13, over 150 people will gather this week in Dar es Salaam to lay down a roadmap of specific measures aimed at dealing with the human rights issues faced by persons with albinism.
The participants are from 28 countries in the region. Half of them from civil society, about 20 percent from government, 10 percent from national human rights institutions and there will also be human rights specialists from within and outside the AU and UN as well as academics.
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