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Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Addressing deeply rooted beliefs and practices such as witchcraft necessitates efforts in public education, which ought to be sustained even when the most visible aspects of the consequences of witchcraft on persons with albinism, namely the attacks against persons with albinism, appear to be decreasing.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Other children have dropped out of school or have been withdrawn by their family to remain under the protection of their parents. The security of children both on the way to school and at school cannot be ensured, including during recesses. Most rural schools do not have basic security items such as fences to ensure the children's protection.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the myths fuel the discrimination and abuse to which persons with albinism are subject at school, and this increases bullying, taunting and harassment, which in turn increases their dropout rates. High dropout rates throw them into a cycle of poverty that is hard to break. Poverty in turn predisposes them to abuse and exposes them to attack.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 45e
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert intends to identify and consolidate the measures to end and prevent attacks to persons with albinism in consultation with States, civil society, international and regional bodies and agencies as well as other stakeholders. The specific measures identified will be based on those already identified, particularly those adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, namely:] Increased education and public awareness-raising activities;
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Lack of melanin in the eyes results in high sensitivity to bright light and significant vision impairment, with the level of severity varying from one person to another. This vision impairment often cannot be completely corrected. In some countries, this has led to the categorization of persons with albinism as legally blind, which enables them to access the national legal frameworks in the field of the rights of persons with disabilities, including measures related to access to health and education.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert makes the following recommendations to States affected by attacks against persons with albinism:] [Public education] Public education Ensure that public education campaigns address witchcraft-related practices affecting persons with albinism, particularly those leading to human rights violations. Such campaigns should also stress the reprehensible nature of these practices;
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert makes the following recommendations to States affected by attacks against persons with albinism:] [Public education] Public education Ensure sustained and uninterrupted multi-year-long efforts in public education on albinism, particularly in rural and remote areas, as well as border communities, to provide relevant information about albinism, including the scientific reasons behind albinism, as well as on the human rights of persons with albinism;
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- The project illustrated the value of such campaigns and associated post-project evaluation not only for the dissemination of information and changing of attitudes and behaviour but also to gather data, as they revealed instructive patterns in the targeted communities. For example, the belief that body parts of a person with albinism have magical powers was found among respondents adhering to various religious groups: Christians, Muslims and traditional believers. In the context of the survey, the latter group had the highest number of believers in that myth. This type of information is helpful for understanding the character of the problem and grounding solutions such as working with all religious leaders. It also identifies areas where increased public education efforts or more targeted projects might be warranted. The evaluation found that youth and women were more likely to have misconceived notions about albinism than men. This suggests that the project did not reach women and youth to the same extent as it did men and that it is necessary to plan and implement further interventions that target these groups in particular.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- Public education, including awareness-raising on the scientific explanations for albinism, is one of the most fundamental tools for changing myths and erroneous beliefs that trigger violence against persons with albinism. For example, in a pilot project carried out in 2015-2016, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization country office in the United Republic of Tanzania undertook community sensitization using community radio and employing the sociocultural approach by empowering key community stakeholders such as teachers, health workers, traditional leaders, traditional healers and family members of persons with albinism to in turn mobilize their communities to protect and promote the well-being and rights of people with albinism. The project was a marked success. A post-project evaluation report revealed a quantifiable increase - in the double digits - in the percentage of people claiming knowledge about albinism, including its genetic basis and that it is not a curse.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Further, there is a need to formally educate persons with albinism because such a person becomes a role model and demystifies misbeliefs about the condition. However, there remains the challenge of discrimination at schools, which is linked to ongoing myths and ignorance on the part of both students and teachers alike. Moreover, the lack of support and reasonable accommodation, including the provision of low vision devices, for persons with albinism remains a substantive barrier to education. These issues have led many children with albinism to stop their education. School dropout has a particularly severe impact on children with albinism because it destroys their chances of finding work indoors, which in turn exposes them to poverty and skin cancer, conditions paving the way to early death due to ritual attacks and skin cancer respectively.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Lack of public education on albinism is closely linked to widespread myths regarding the condition. This is why the need for sustained awareness-raising initiatives on the issue cannot be overstated. That said, awareness-raising and public education initiatives cannot replace concrete action, but ought to be carried out as part of a broader action plan such as the one being developed at the African regional level. Education of persons with albinism about their condition and their rights is also necessary to counter myths and misbeliefs.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Various authors have emphasized the continued reliance on witchcraft in many African societies and the necessity to take the phenomenon into account to fully understand the contemporary social context. It has also been reported that, despite opposition by religious leaders, access to basic education, and the enactment of legislation criminalizing witchcraft accusations and some forms of practice, witchcraft still remains embedded in society. It remains attractive to a significant number of people as it promises a holistic explanation for human hardships, including by linking socioeconomic misfortunes to other apparent "misfortunes", such as the birth of a child with albinism in a family.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, myths that persons with albinism are destined to experience poor fortune and cannot do well in life are also a reflection of the discrimination they face on a daily basis. Unfortunately, too often, given the myth-driven historical context of discrimination, there is a disproportionately small number of persons with albinism able to disprove this myth with the example of their lives. Other beliefs, that persons with albinism are unable to learn or are mentally challenged, illustrate the particular discrimination they face regarding access to education, including persistent bullying and the absence of reasonable accommodation for the vision impairment that is often part of albinism.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
14 shown of 14 entities