The second time, they left with me. Augustin, a year-old teenager from Shinyanga who was attacked by criminals who cut his left forearms and fingers on his right hand when he was four-year-old, said the district education officer took him to the shelter when he was seven or eight.
At first, no one explained to me why I was being taken there. I was sad at the beginning because I missed my parents. It felt like a punishment. We were given a specific date and time by which she had to be there, which was two days later. There was security here…. But I had to accept the order. NGOs that promote the rights of people with albinism also reported pressure by the government on local schools and the community to send children away to the shelters, by threatening to hold community leaders and members accountable if a child who remained at home was attacked.
Some parents complain and say that they have the right to take the children home. But they generally understand. Severin, a year-old boy with albinism, said he never went home on vacation while he lived in the shelter. The parents of Victoria, a young woman with albinism who stayed for three years in Buhangija, who have university degrees, said it was easy to obtain such a letter from the authorities.
It was impossible to come out of Buhangija [shelter] without permission. There was full security. A representative of an international NGO sponsoring the education of children with albinism told Human Rights Watch that these restrictions also apply to children who have been moved out of shelters and into private schools under their sponsorship program.
In one case, Lucy, a year-old girl with albinism, told Human Rights Watch at the time of the interview that she had not seen her mother in two years and did not know where her family was:. I was 6 years old when I got to Mitindo [shelter in Mwanza].
My mother brought me there because she saw the thieves [people attacking children with albinism] and so she took me to the [shelter]. She came back only once I went [to a private school, where I am being sponsored by an international NGO] in She came only for one day to ask who was paying my school fees and asked whether they could pay for my brothers too. According to representatives of local organizations working with people with albinism, another reason why some children placed in shelters no longer see their family is because their parents left no records of where they came from, and tracing the family after several years is difficult.
Some children with albinism have been there for four or five years now without seeing their parents. The separation from family exerts a heavy emotional toll on young children with albinism.
Peter, an year-old man who stayed at the Buhangija for eight years, said his brother was the only one visiting him. I was too young. I used to cry all the time. I did speak with my mother however, maybe once a month by phone. I felt good talking to her but I missed her. But it was good to be with other children with albinism because we felt we had a right to stay in the world. To protect children with albinism from physical attacks, a number of shelters and boarding schools have enforced drastic security measures that deprive children of their freedom of movement.
In July , Human Rights Watch visited Buhangija, a former boarding school for students with disabilities transformed into a temporary holding shelter for children with albinism in At the time of the visit, children were living in the shelter, out of whom were children with albinism the others were deaf or blind children attending the inclusive school located next to the shelter. At the shelter, Human Rights Watch researchers observed a barren compound made up of five dormitories surrounded by tall walls topped with barbwire.
The rest of their free time is spent within the compound, which has no recreation space or trees to provide for shade, useful in helping people with albinism shield themselves from the sun. So, we talk to those students and discourage them from walking around alone, especially at night. Classes usually finish at p. NGOs have reported that children with albinism living in these shelters are progressively being sent back to their communities.
Authorities should ensure that the views of children and their families are taken into account, that children have access to education in their community, and that the community has protection systems in place. Such consultations did not take place in the case of Mariam, a seven-year-old girl from Simiyu region, who was reunited with her year-old grandmother. They just dumped the child on me.
Eight children with albinism interviewed by Human Rights Watch recounted how they experienced stigma and bias in their communities, including name-calling. In the Simiyu region, the grandmother of Mariam, a seven-year-old young girl with albinism, said Mariam frequently faced similar experiences:. Most people have a negative perception of Mariam because of her color.
If she plays, they fear blood will come out of her. Tulime Onlus. Another important activity conducted by NGO is advocate in favor of people with Albinism, informing common people about this disease, thus eliminating prejudices and beliefs and conducting awareness-raising lessons in schools, achieving greater understanding among children, as Tulime Onlus is currently doing in the Iringa region in Tanzania. United Nations.
Moreover, as person with albinism are identified as disabled people [16] they have guaranteed human rights as set out by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities UNCRPD ; these rights include a right to life, adequate standards of living and social protection, equality and non-discrimination, freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse, and a right to education, health, work and employment.
Despite the huge work that is currently carried on in Africa, especially from NGOs, people with albinism are still exposed to different risks and threats from both their relatives and community; in countering this situation is important to consider the important role played by several international organization, which play an important part in sensitizing and informing people, although old beliefs and rites are hardly abandoned by the poorest and less educated people, who think they can solve their problems by turning to sorcerers and wizards.
Source: Webmd. Source: Aoa. Introduction Among the numerous problems that today afflict the African continent, it is possible to note that Albinism is particularly relevant and heavily affects the lives of many people, particularly in Sub-Saharan African countries. What is Albinism? Albinism occurs globally, in all gender, racial and ethnic groups affecting 1 person in 18,; estimations of affected people as part of the local population vary from region to region, even though the highest rate is in Sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated 1 person in 1, people in Tanzania [5] Courtesy of www.
Courtesy of www. Courtesy of Advantage Africa. Courtesy of the Author. Why are albinos being murdered in South Africa? As a result there have been over albino murders in Tanzania, Burundi, and other parts of Africa in the past decade, which is now beginning to garner international attention and thus prompting novel legislation.
To ameliorate the plight of individuals with albinism in Africa, a coordinated effort must be organized, involving medical professionals dermatologists, ophthalmologists, oncologists , public health advocates and educators, social workers, human rights and antidiscrimination activists, law-enforcement agencies, and governmental support groups.
The main issues that should be addressed include skin cancer prevention education, stigma and discrimination denouncement, and swift prosecution of albino hunters and their sponsors.
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