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Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Threats faced by boys and girls do not end when they leave their home countries. As they travel onward, often paying their way through dangerous routes by using exploitative smuggling and trafficking networks, children are subject to further violence, abuse and exploitation, including at borders owing to pushbacks and interceptions by border control officials. Unaccompanied children and those separated from their families face heightened risks, both along the route and upon arrival in transit countries.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Children may be compelled to work to sustain themselves or provide for their families’ basic needs, especially where parents cannot work legally or simply cannot find work, legally or illegally. Iraqi and Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, for example, work in textile factories, construction or the food service industry, or as agricultural labour or street vendors in conditions amounting to forced labour. According to UNICEF, in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, shopkeepers, farmers and manufacturers hire Syrian refugee children because they can pay them a lower wage. Children, especially girls, are seen as less likely to be targeted by the police or prosecuted for illegal work than adults, making families more likely to send them to work. These types of child labour, which often mask other forms of exploitation, such as trafficking for forced labour, have dire consequences on children.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Finally, the practice of “temporary” child or forced marriages is one of the dangerous coping mechanisms that girls face while in refugee camps in transit countries. Confronted with the economic burdens brought on by protracted displacement and limited or inexistent work opportunities, some refugee and migrant parents, and often children themselves, turn to those measures because they feel that they are the only option for safeguarding a child’s future or supporting a family’s immediate needs. For example, Syrian refugee girls are often forcibly married by their parents, who view such arrangements as a way of securing their daughters’ safety and ensuring the family’s livelihood through the dowry. Once married, those girls are likely to end up in a situation of sexual and domestic exploitation by a spouse whom they have followed abroad. The use of child and forced marriages to traffic girls into prostitution in another country is also common.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Chaos in the aftermath of a natural disaster can also exacerbate the vulnerability to exploitation of the affected communities by making children more prone to accepting, for example, bogus offers of employment or education from traffickers or criminal networks. In order to support the family’s dire economic situation or meet their own needs, children are sold or trafficked for the purpose of labour exploitation. They may be entrusted by family members to people who promise to find them work either within or outside the country, or they may directly offer their services to employers and middle persons. Once in the hands of traffickers who prey on their eagerness to work and send money to the family, those children are forced into the worst forms of child labour.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Children are entitled to adequate accommodation, giving priority to family-based and family-like solutions. Unaccompanied or separated children should be housed in specialized camps or at least in areas separated from adults. However, the availability of specific services to address the needs of children and the general circumstances faced by children largely depend on the facility where they are housed.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- A durable solution is a long-term, sustainable solution that ensures that all children, including unaccompanied and separated children, can develop into adulthood in an environment that will meet their needs and rights, including recovery and (re)integration. Such solutions may encompass voluntary repatriation, resettlement, local integration and complementary pathways to protection and other durable solutions. However, the common practice has been the return of the child to their family or country of origin as a first option. States should only return or repatriate unaccompanied children as a measure of protection, for example, to ensure family reunification in cases in which it is in the child’s best interest and after due process of law. Unfortunately, in countries where reception networks are overwhelmed by the increasing number of children on the move, individual assessments of the best interests of the child are not taken into account and children are placed in inadequate facilities. These deficiencies in the protection system also increase children’s vulnerability to exploitation and trafficking. Confronted with the States’ failure to provide an adequate response, children see traffickers and smugglers as a preferable source of support. These reasons, together with the gaps identified in child protection systems and the lack of reliable data and coordination among services and across transit and destination countries, contribute to the rising figures of missing children. In addition, children may not wish to be identified in the first European Union country that they enter in order to escape the implications of the Dublin regulation (regulation (EU) No. 604/2013) establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- The aftermath of humanitarian disasters is also a fertile ground for the illegal international adoption of children, as it is facilitated by the breakdown of institutions and the lack of border control. For example, following the earthquakes in Haiti in 2010 and Nepal in 2015, there were concerns that separated and orphaned children were being trafficked for sexual or labour exploitation, sold or illegally adopted, sometimes by well-meaning families. In addition, the crossover between smuggling and trafficking represents a major risk for children, including those who go missing with the aim of reaching relatives or acquaintances in another country.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Lastly, global initiatives, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, call upon States to eradicate, inter alia, trafficking in and other forms of exploitation of children in its targets 5.3, 8.7 and 16.2. In addition, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (General Assembly resolution 71/1) commits States to protect the human rights of all refugee and migrant children, regardless of their status, in particular those of unaccompanied children or of children separated from their families. The ensuing development of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration and of that on refugees constitutes a potential additional landmark for the protection of children on the move from trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Despite international, regional and national efforts to implement an effective humanitarian response to current crises, the increasing number of unaccompanied and separated children poses severe challenges to transit and destination countries and humanitarian agencies with respect to protecting and supporting refugee and migrant children adequately. The absence or inadequacy of child protection systems, the lack of coordination among different child protection services and the limited capacity in camps to host children in specialized and separated facilities exacerbate the risks to exploitation to which they are exposed during their journey. The lengthy processing of family reunification and resettlement solutions or inefficient family reunification procedures, in addition to poor living conditions experienced in camps and the possibility to be placed in detention, are all factors driving migrant children to avoid the child protection system in transit and destination countries. Moreover, a lack of knowledge and awareness among the humanitarian community about the vulnerabilities experienced by boys and girls on the move, together with the children’s lack of information about their own situation, represent further barriers in protecting children’s rights effectively in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis. Other gaps include a lack of timely information, legal options and legal counselling, timely appointment of guardians and firewalls between child protection and migration authorities as effective means to safeguard the children’s interests and protect their rights, including access to justice and remedies.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Among good practices related to adequate child protection mechanisms in crisis responses is the creation of child-friendly spaces within interim care services. Promising examples include efforts by UNICEF and UNHCR to provide psychosocial support and other child protection services through child and family support hubs (also known as “blue dots”), which, among other services, offer children child-sensitive information on their rights, especially regarding international protection and referrals to services where necessary. Another promising example is Plan International’s child-friendly space established in the wake of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal to provide children with psychological support and facilitate their return to school. These child-friendly spaces were integrated into temporary learning centres and based on child participation, allowing children to share their concerns and protection issues.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Once children reach their destinations, they may encounter a different array of obstacles, including detention, lengthy family reunification processes (when they are available at all), discriminatory treatment while in State care, limited access to social services, education and career opportunities, and uncertainty regarding their residence status in the country. In the United States, there have been cases of trafficking in unaccompanied migrant children who, after their cases were processed by agencies of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, have been placed with family members in the country. At times, some of those children have been trafficked for sexual and labour exploitation by criminal networks who posed as family members or forced them into begging or drug smuggling.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Another aspect of States’ failure to protect children in the context of humanitarian responses is the alarming practice of child detention owing to their irregular migration status. The Committee on the Rights of the Child and other human rights mechanisms have underscored that immigration-related detention of children can never be in their best interests and that, no matter whether they are unaccompanied or with their families, their detention constitutes a violation of their rights that, at times, may amount to “torture and ill-treatment”. The reasons invoked by States to resort to immigration-related detention of children include health and security screening, identity verification, protection and the facilitation of removal from the country. Alternatives to child detention should be sought. Children should be allowed to reside in a community-based context while their immigration status is being resolved. Good practices of such alternatives include the child-sensitive community assessment and placement model.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- In addition, States’ capacities and approach to implementing durable solutions for children vary. While some prioritize child protection, others look at it as a matter of security, do not consider such situations as their responsibility or do not have the capacity to provide child protection in conflict- and disaster-affected areas. Concerns have been raised about the policy adopted by some States to discourage unaccompanied children in transit to apply for asylum or any other form of protection. In Europe, in particular, States’ responses are very fragmented. In places where migrants or refugees reside, including reception centres, refugee camps or informal settlements, unaccompanied children are viewed as young people in transit for whom local integration is not a suitable option. While family reunification applies in such cases, it is rarely implemented in practice, owing to, among other reasons, the restricted concept of family (limited to close relatives only) which does not take into account the diversity in type and composition of families across regions. In addition, the process for family reunification is often lengthy and complex.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- In the absence of safe and regular migration channels, as well as permanent and accessible mechanisms for children and their families to access long-term regular migration status or residence permits, children are forced to search for precarious alternatives that increase their exposure to risks of sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 2017, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- While some refugee and internally displaced persons camps have separate facilities for unaccompanied or separated children, they often lack family-based solutions and have very limited capacity to face the increasing number of unaccompanied or separated children. As a consequence, children share their living space with adults or are held in prolonged detention. In addition, even when children are offered a separated living area, those are often easily accessible to everyone, especially during night-time. Moreover, certain camps fail to provide basic amenities, such as appropriate health-care services or gender-differentiated sanitation. The lack of adequate lightning, the layout of some camps and a shortage of security personnel further increase the vulnerability of children to abuse. Finally, the reluctance of many European countries to provide refugee children with a safe and permanent home continues to aggravate the situation by prolonging the stay of children in the facilities.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- More recently, the views adopted in 2017 by the Human Rights Committee in the case of G. v. Australia, favouring the request of a married transgender person to have a birth certificate that correctly identifies the person’s gender identity, strengthen the right to be free from discrimination, as well as the right to privacy and family.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The criminalization of consensual same-sex relations between adults of the same sex violates States’ obligations under international law, including the obligation to protect privacy and to guarantee non-discrimination. Such violations occur even when the law is not enforced. As such, arrests and detentions on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression are to be considered arbitrary. The imposition of the death penalty for offences related to homosexuality violates the right to life as it does not pass the qualification criteria of “most serious crimes”, as provided for in article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Criminalization of same-sex relations also fuels stigma, legitimizes prejudice and exposes people to family and institutional violence and further human rights abuses such as hate crimes, death threats and torture. All such provisions should be repealed.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 53h
- Paragraph text
- Switzerland stated that its Constitution has an anti-discrimination provision covering all forms of discrimination, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Civil partnership has been recognized since 2007. Revision of the adoption law in 2016 opens the door to stepchild adoption for same-sex couples. Change of name is also possible in this regard;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 53k
- Paragraph text
- A source indicated that, in Ukraine, proposals to introduce laws in the form of the so-called “homosexuality anti-propaganda law” and based on “traditional family values” were withdrawn in 2015, and the legal framework has become more supportive of sexual orientation and gender identity;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Myths about albinism include the belief that a child with albinism is a curse meted out on the mother or family of the child. It is also sometimes believed that children with albinism are the result of their family's or parent's evildoing and they are therefore considered a punishment to the whole family and community. In most cases, the blame for having a child with albinism is often attributed to the mother because the curse is believed to be matrilineal, transmitted by the mother's side of the family. There are also beliefs that women who give birth to children with albinism are unclean, or even in some cases witches. A similar myth is that the mother of a child with albinism stepped onto something evil, leading to a curse on the whole family.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- The lack of understanding of the condition is also illustrated by myths that persons with albinism cannot have children who do not have albinism, or that they are sterile. Furthermore, it is often believed that persons with albinism can only be found within one`s proximate race; consequently, the worldwide status of the condition is often not generally known. This narrow understanding of the frequency of albinism feeds into myths which present the condition as a particular problem supernaturally aimed at specific women and families.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- It is evident that none of these myths are true, yet they demonstrate the lack of understanding of the genetic nature of albinism. This absence of scientific knowledge and the resort to myths to provide explanations concerning albinism lead to discrimination against persons with albinism and their families, mothers in particular. However, this should not lead to the conclusion that public education alone will eradicate these myths. Evidence shows that even where the truth and the scientific basis of albinism are known, they can co-exist with myths. Scientific explanations of the origins of albinism can answer the question "why?". But they fail to answer particular, localized and personal questions such as "why in this particular person?" and "why at this particular time and place?". The inability of science to answer these questions means that many turn to explanations proposed by supernatural beliefs such as witchcraft, and its practitioners, also known as witchdoctors.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- In this context and owing to their visibility in most of the affected communities, persons with albinism, and parents of children with albinism, constantly live in fear of attack. Many do not sleep peacefully and have deliberately restricted their movements to the necessary minimum, during daylight hours and when escorted by trustworthy persons. Mothers have sent their children to live with relatives or in boarding schools. Yet, even there the fear remains, as such establishments are often in need of increased security measures.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- From the sociological and anthropological perspectives, the following definition for witchcraft has been proposed by Marc Augé: witchcraft is "a set of beliefs, structured and shared by a given population that addresses the origin of misfortune, illness and death, and the set of practices for detection, treatment and punishment that corresponds to these beliefs". Often, the diagnostic aspect of witchcraft often pinpoints an individual person as the source of the misfortune within the family, place of employment or community.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Family members, friends and service providers are not immune to the practice of self-distancing from persons with albinism. This is illustrated by the following testimony of a person with albinism: "my mother distances herself from me … I had girlfriends who preferred to quietly meet me away from the public. You go to a party; they won't want to dance with you". Similarly, it was reported that, in certain cases, nurses and other medical professionals, including physicians, were reluctant to touch or treat patients with albinism. In such a context, it is not uncommon that persons with albinism self-limit their interactions within the community and shy away from attending school.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Fear of attacks has also worsened the economic situation of persons with albinism who are not able to cultivate their land, go to the marketplace or initiate economic activity in freedom. The same can be said of parents of children with albinism, who often have to curtail their economic activity to accommodate the need to watch over their children day and night and to escort them to and from school. This strain on family economics increases the likelihood that a child with albinism will be viewed as a burden or curse on the family. This in turn increases the child`s vulnerability to attacks initiated or facilitated by family members.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Civil society reports nearly 500 cases of attacks against persons with albinism across 26 countries. They include various forms of attack, including physical assault, murder and sexual violence tied to witchcraft beliefs and practices. In relation to the relatively small numbers of persons with albinism, usually in the single digits of thousands to tens of thousands per country, this number of cases is highly concerning. Moreover, these are reported cases alone. Civil society activists on the issue believe far more cases go unreported owing to family collusion and the secrecy surrounding witchcraft practices.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Albinism is a rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited condition that affects people worldwide regardless of ethnicity or gender. It results from a significant deficit in the production of melanin and is characterized by the partial or complete absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes. In order for a person to be affected by albinism, both parents must carry the gene and, in that case, there is a 25 per cent chance that a child will be born with albinism at each pregnancy. The proportion of persons affected by albinism in the world differs from region to region. For example, in North America and Europe, it is estimated that 1 in 17,000 to 20,000 people are affected by the condition, while in sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 5,000 to 15,000 could be affected, with specific countries having a much higher tendency, including estimated rates of 1 in 1,400, and about 1 in 20 persons in the general population carrying the gene for albinism. Other studies suggest that in specific groups in Panama or in the Pacific region, the rate of people affected could be as high as 1 in 70 to 1 in 125.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- The insecurity of persons with albinism is directly affected by their poor living conditions. Some abductions and attacks have reportedly occurred in houses that do not have the most basic security features, including windows, wooden doors or locks. Most families living in such conditions do not have access to a phone line to call for help and do not have any means of transportation to rush persons who have been attacked to the closest medical facilities.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Yet, there are several effective ways to prevent skin cancer, including the use of sun protection cream, which is topically applied, or wearing sun-protective clothing with long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. Given the accessibility and effectiveness of protective clothing, skin cancer could be significantly prevented at little cost with the right level of public education and early intervention programmes targeting persons with albinism and their families.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph