16 Jul 2015

Often, we hear people, including non-believers, say man is created in the image of God. 

What then becomes the question is; what image is this? Is it about race, colour, gender or creed? 

The Social Barometer has decided to draw the reader’s attention to a section of society that worldwide faces multiple forms of discrimination owing to its physical appearance.

This section of society is constantly under threat, in some countries, of even death besides abduction, wounding and killing for ritual purposes. Its crime is just its somewhat different genetic make-up.

According to the World Health Organisation, albinism affects from one in 5000 to one in 15 000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa. In some parts of Africa, hundreds of ritual attacks have been reported against persons with albinism particularly children.

The United Nations says many cases of such nature remain undocumented or unreported because of ostracism of victims and their families as well as the secret nature of witchcraft.

Compounding the plight of people with albinism is that the condition is still profoundly misunderstood, socially and medically. 

That is because the physical appearance of persons with albinism is sometimes a result of distorted beliefs and myths deriving from superstition, which foster marginalization and social exclusion of people with albinism. 

This leads to various forms of stigma and discrimination:

Women who give birth to children with albinism are often repudiated by their husbands and their families, because they are not aware that both parents must carry the gene to pass it onto their children.

 Further, children with albinism are frequently abandoned by their parents or, more sporadically, the victims of infanticide, because of the appearance of their skin, the disabilities they may have as a result of their condition, and the belief that they may be a source of misfortune.

-The deeply entrenched prejudices they face worldwide also impede persons with albinism from accessing adequate health care, social services, legal protection and redress for rights abuses.

  -The forms of discrimination faced by persons with albinism are interrelated. Their right to education, for instance, is affected by their vision impairment that can force them to drop out of school. A poor level of education, in turn, can lead to unemployment and affect their right to an adequate standard of living, consigning many to poverty.

Concerned by this widespread danger, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on May 15 launched a website, People with albinism: Not ghosts but human beings. 

The website is “dedicated to the issues of albinism aimed at debunking the myths about a rare condition which is still profoundly misunderstood, socially and medically”.

Through the website, the UN hopes to stem the tide against human rights abuses against people with albinism.

In the case of Botswana, it has established the Office for People Living with Disabilities under the Office of the President. 

While albinism has never been recognised as a disability, this office is now aware that people with albinism suffer twice if their condition is not recognised as a disability.

Through such, Botswana has now responded to the United Nations call that the right to freedom from discrimination requires states to adopt comprehensive strategies to ensure that persons with albinism are afforded equal protection under the law and in practice. ENDS