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Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 41
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- Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights distinguishes the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief from the freedom to manifest religion or belief. On the one hand, it does not permit any limitations whatsoever on the freedom of thought and conscience or on the freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of one's choice. These freedoms are protected unconditionally. On the other hand, restrictions on the freedom to manifest religion or belief are permitted if limitations are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others. In joint general recommendation No. 31 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women/general comment No. 18 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2014) on harmful practices, the committees recognize that harmful practices are deeply rooted and that there are often attempts to justify them by invoking sociocultural and religious customs and values. However, harmful practices can never be justified and must be eliminated, including by challenging sociocultural norms and attitudes that underlie them. In addition, States cannot justify any delay in taking action on any grounds, including cultural and religious grounds.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 41
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- Beliefs that potions containing body parts of persons with albinism can help with relationship problems or restore peace in the family also exist. Further, it is believed that when used in a fragrance, hairs of persons with albinism can be useful for women who want to seduce white men, or for keeping employment. The use for good luck of perfumes or soaps made with body parts of persons with albinism was also reported.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 80
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- The Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, in her 2013 report to the General Assembly (A/68/256), stated that the difference between trafficking in organs and trafficking in persons for the removal of organs was largely semantic, given that organs were not moved or traded independently of their source, because the victim was moved or positioned in such a way as to make transplantation possible. However, the hypothesis regarding attacks against persons with albinism suggests a different context. Here the purpose is not the transplantation of a functional organ, but the collection of a body part for muti or juju. Although some cases of trafficking of persons with albinism have been reported, in the majority of the cases, the victims are attacked in their homes or while carrying out their ordinary activities, and their body parts hacked off their living or dead bodies at the place of the attack, or close by. In such cases, it cannot be considered that the victims are trafficked, yet their body parts are being harvested, transported and sold.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 66
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- Measures identified can be implemented by integrating them into existing, broader frameworks, including laws and policies to implement the rights of persons with disabilities, on access to health, on the rights of women and children, on access to justice services, on victim support services and to eliminate racial discrimination (including discrimination based on colour). Such measures should be extended to the family members of persons with albinism and, in particular, to mothers of children with albinism and women generally. At the same time, specific measures of protection and anti-discrimination for persons with albinism should also be carried out where possible, particularly in countries affected by attacks against persons with albinism and where neglect of this group has been historical and dire.
- 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
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 52
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- The Independent Expert looks forward to working closely with all special procedure mandate holders so as to harmonize efforts in addressing the many obstacles to the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism. She sees close connections between her mandate and those of other special procedures, such as the rights of persons with disabilities; the right to education; the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice; violence against women; contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; and cultural rights. The Independent Expert also intends to work in close cooperation with the mandate holders on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
- 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
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 15
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- As an initial step, the mandate holder will outline, in broad strokes, some of the obstacles with which persons with albinism are confronted. The obstacles identified constitute the main areas of concern and priorities of the mandate holder and include human rights violations such as attacks, desecration of graves, trafficking of body parts, displacement, discrimination against persons with albinism, as well as human rights violations based on disabilities, challenges in the right to the highest attainable standard of health and the right to education. The Independent Expert would also like to draw attention to the particularly concerning situation of women and children with albinism.
- 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
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 17
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- There is also the myth that intercourse with female persons with albinism can cure infertility, sexually transmitted infections and, in particular, HIV/AIDS. This has led to the rape and forced prostitution of women and girls with albinism, some of whom end up contracting various infections. Cases have been reported of young girls with albinism being prostituted by their family to customers who thereby expect to be cured of HIV/AIDS. It is believed that cases of this sort are underreported owing to various factors, including a pre-existing context of myth-led discrimination against persons with albinism, the stigma of reporting rape and the likelihood of further abuse. Such lack of reporting is bound to aggravate the already oppressed and disenfranchised situation of women and girls with albinism.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 11
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- 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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Other myths seek an explanation in existing traditional beliefs associated with childbirth. It has been reported, for example, that the birth of children with albinism could be linked to the "snake inside the woman" turning away from that pregnancy. The snake is considered the protector of the pregnancy, monitoring it. Other explanations are that a child born with albinism was conceived when a woman had intercourse while she was menstruating. Further, some mythological beliefs seek to explain the condition by advancing that the mother of the child with albinism was struck by lightning or that albinism occurs when a mother does not consume enough salt in her diet.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
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