Search Tips
sorted by
20 shown of 20 entities
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 46a
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- [Accordingly, to be regarded as harmful, practices should meet any or a combination of the following criteria:] They constitute a denial of the dignity and/or integrity of the individual and a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 36
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The present report will focus on the aspect of witchcraft relating to the ritual killing of persons with albinism for the use of body parts (also referred to as muti or juju), for the ultimate goal of obtaining an advantage or causing harm, or for any other purpose which necessitates the attribution of supernatural powers to the body parts.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 89
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The Independent Expert recommends the implementation of similar projects in all countries affected by any or all of the phenomena of attacks, discrimination and stigma against persons with albinism. Such projects should not be interrupted and last for a minimum of two years. Content should be accessible, including through the use of vernacular languages. Social media, mobile phone technology, community radio, rural cinema and television programmes have also proven to be particularly useful for awareness-raising. Creative awareness-raising methodologies and new ways of presenting information, including through community theatre and celebrity ambassadors, have also been successful.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 76
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In the public interest, it is also important that States ensure adequate standards for traditional medicine. There must be minimum requirements for all practitioners, regardless of whether they are affiliated with an organization. The standards must be in line with established human rights norms, without compromising the core principles of availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of goods and services. The obligation on States also extends to ensuring that practitioners do not conduct harmful practices, including the use of body parts of persons with albinism for muti or juju.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 53
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- WHO suggested that regardless of the reason why an individual used it, traditional medicine provided an important health-care service to persons without geographic or financial access to health care. The Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, in his report to the Human Rights Council in 2008, echoed general comment No. 14, stating that "a health system is required to take into account traditional preventive care, healing practices and medicines" (see A/HRC/7/11, paragraph 44). In addition, he also stated, in his 2006 report to the General Assembly (A/61/338), in which he examined the right to health and maternal mortality, that all medicines had to be culturally acceptable and respectful of medical ethics. He suggested, for example, that national measures should support the proper use of traditional medicine and its integration into health-care systems, while clinical trials must obtain the informed consent of research subjects.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 52
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- One third of the world's population and over half of the populations of the poorest parts of Asia and Africa do not have regular access to allopathic drugs, including essential medicines. In its global study, WHO reported that the most commonly reported reasons for using traditional medicine were that it was more affordable and accessible, less paternalistic than allopathic medicine and consequently often closer to the patient's ideology. During the visit of the Independent Expert to Mozambique, the very high number of traditional medicine practitioners registered with the main association of traditional healers suggested that resort to traditional medicine was popular.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 51
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In its global study on the legal status of traditional medicine and complementary/alternative medicine, WHO recognized both mainstream medical care (allopathic medicine) and complementary/alternative medicine, terms that were used interchangeably with "traditional medicine" in some countries. Given the broadness of the term "traditional medicine" and the wide range of practices it encompassed, traditional medicine was difficult to define with a finite list of objective criteria. However, WHO provided a helpful list of what might be included: a diversity of health practices, approaches, knowledge, and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and/or mineral-based medicines; spiritual therapies; manual techniques; and exercises, applied singly or in combination, to maintain well-being, as well as to treat, diagnose or prevent illness.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 49
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health was first articulated in the 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO), whose preamble states that "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition". Similarly, article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights mentions health as part of the right to an adequate standard of living. Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides the most comprehensive normative framework on the right to the highest attainable standard of health. The article has been interpreted as inclusive of specific entitlements, including the right to an adequate system of health protection, the right to prevention and treatment of illnesses, the right to access essential medicines, the provision of health-related education and information, as well as participation of those concerned in health-related decisions.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 43
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- It is important to reiterate that although witchcraft per se should not be criminalized, any killing of persons for the use of body parts in witchcraft-related practices such as muti or juju should be prosecuted. To do so, it is necessary to ensure that legal provisions criminalize a broad range of attacks and assaults, as well as criminalize the possession and trafficking of body parts. Linking such a criminal action to muti and juju would be challenging, given the difficulty in establishing objective evidentiary standards. Nonetheless, where evidence substantially supports the proposition that muti and juju were the purpose of the criminal activity, States could consider including that factor as an aggravating circumstance leading to a heavier sentence and ultimately deter crime incentivized by witchcraft. Non-legal tools such as public education and sociocultural interventions with stakeholders would also be necessary to complement such legal practice in dissuading muti, juju and all crimes related to witchcraft.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 26
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Although belief in, and practice of, witchcraft can be associated in certain cases with empowerment, healing and cleansing, attacks and use of body parts of persons with albinism, regardless of the purpose for which they are used, cannot under any circumstances be considered an elemental part of any legitimate practice, whether linked to witchcraft or to traditional medicine, because such acts inherently constitute criminal activity and other human rights violations. Consequently, they cannot be justified on the basis of tradition, traditional medicine, or any other ground.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 60
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Furthermore, the Independent Expert will give particular importance to her mandate to conduct, facilitate and support the provision of advisory services, technical assistance, capacity-building and international cooperation in support of national efforts for the effective realization of the rights of persons with albinism and to prevent violence. She is therefore particularly committed to fostering capacity-building of national stakeholders, promoting exchanges on challenges and experiences and supporting efforts in translating international norms into national legislation, policies, programmes and practices that are effective and adapted to national circumstances.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 57
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Guided by her mandate to identify, exchange and promote good practices relating to the realization of the rights of persons with albinism and their participation as equal members of society, she will strive to identify effective measures to address discrimination against persons with albinism at all levels, including with regard to access to health and education. This collection of best practices would address the protection and promotion of human rights of people with albinism and focus on issues beyond attacks, namely discrimination and equality.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 33
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination, stigma and bullying of persons with albinism owing to their appearance have been reported in all regions of the world, to varying degrees. Such discrimination has been described as discrimination based on skin tone or shade, including within the same ethnic group. While discrimination based on skin colour is an everyday reality for most persons with albinism, discourse on discrimination based on colour has rarely been applied to albinism. This is for various reasons such as the lack of visibility of albinism, until very recently, the lack of understanding of what persons with albinism experience and lastly, but perhaps most significantly, strong historical ties of racial discrimination discourse to race or ethnicity. Yet, there is potential to address albinism under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as the governing concept is not "race" but "racial discrimination", which may be based on any of five "grounds": race, colour, descent, national origin and ethnic origin.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 20
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The appearance that ensues in albinism, in particular the lack of melanin in the skin, eyes and hair, exposes tens of thousands of persons to stigma and discrimination across the world. It is reported that, in Africa, attacks directed at persons with albinism are usually carried out with machetes, resulting in severe mutilation or death. In most cases, the persons attacked are dismembered; body parts such as fingers, arms, legs, eyes, genitals, skin, bones, the head and hair have been severed from the body and taken. In several of those cases, body parts have been hacked off while the person was alive. Reportedly, there is a corollary witchcraft belief that it is preferable to harvest body parts from live victims because screams increase the potency of the potion for which the parts are used. Possible human sacrifices of persons with albinism have also been reported, including through immolation.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- 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. 76
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The mass media has also been accused of fuelling attacks by irresponsible reporting of the issue. Critics argue that the publishing of prices for body parts could create an incentive for attacks where none previously existed. They point out best practices from reports on drug trafficking whereby some media refuse to publish the market value of drugs confiscated by police so that potential drug traffickers are not tempted by reading about it. While there are no studies establishing a correlation between increased media attention on the issue and increased attacks, it is unreasonable to completely deny the possibility that the publishing of alleged prices of body parts may incentivize profiteers.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- 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. 54
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- The Human Development Index, which is a strong indicator of poverty and correlating factors, showed in 2014 that of the 26 countries where attacks have been reported, 20 were listed as countries with a low human development coefficient; the other six affected countries were listed in the medium human development category. That said, it is noteworthy that, overall, the affected countries had a level of income inequality that ranged from relative equality to relative inequality, with a GINI coefficient range of 30.8 to 63.9, the average for all 26 countries being 44.3.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- 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. 35
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Some countries with a record of attacks against persons with albinism have identified as a major problem the ambiguity between witchcraft on the one hand and the practice of traditional, herbal or alternative medicine on the other. This is further complicated by the secrecy surrounding witchcraft and the resulting difficulty in identifying its real practitioners in all cases. These matters raise the question of whether and how these occupations ought to be defined and regulated as a means of preventing human rights violations allegedly and actually committed by their practitioners. There is also the issue of whether witchcraft beliefs should be given any form of legal character or recognition when it is largely a supernatural phenomenon. Often, these issues are further complicated by the fact that many legal instruments addressing witchcraft are outdated and disconnected from current social realities.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- 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. 25
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In addition, such fear of contagion can be extended to objects touched by persons with albinism. In the words of a person with albinism, "some people will not touch what I touch. In the bus no one wants to sit next to me. People don't want to shake hands with me, share utensils, touch me or come near". Similarly, another person with albinism reported that people refuse to share a taxi with him. Further, as a result of such beliefs, people are sometimes reluctant to eat any food that has been touched by persons with albinism. This is particularly stigmatizing in a context where persons eat from a common pot. It also raises difficulties for persons with albinism working at markets, as customers may prefer other sellers.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- 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. 20
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- 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
- 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. 6
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Albinism is a condition that results in a significant or near total lack of pigmentation in any or all of the skin, hair and eyes. The most significant human rights issues have emerged from myths linked to the form of albinism involving a lack of pigmentation in the skin. This is also the most visible form of albinism. All forms of albinism are together understood as rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited and occurring in both sexes, regardless of ethnicity, in all countries of the world. However, in most communities around the world, albinism is not fully understood.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
20 shown of 20 entities