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Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 48
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In addition, there have been cases where persons with albinism themselves have been accused of witchcraft and persecuted as a result. This can be linked to some of the dehumanizing myths described above. Mothers of children with albinism have also, in certain instances, been accused of witchcraft for giving birth to a child with the condition.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 38
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the common belief that persons with albinism are a bad omen or a curse on their family or on the community, although not, stricto sensu, a witchcraft accusation, does attribute evil qualities to a newborn, with an impact on the mothers and family members in a manner that is strongly analogous to the impact stemming from witchcraft accusations. Consequently, infanticide, abandonment of children with albinism and exclusion of the children and their mothers from community life (either structural expulsion or exclusion from participation) have been reported to the Independent Expert.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 37
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- In its study on children accused of witchcraft, UNICEF reported that, in many African societies, births considered "abnormal" were generally surrounded by a complex system of representations and rituals. Such births included twins, "badly born" children and persons with albinism. Cases have been reported of parents killing their babies born with albinism for being witches. Where these children are not killed at birth, they are often taken to a spiritual leader or traditional healer to be "healed" through various forms of violent exorcism. Similarly, in a report published by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children in 2012, it is stressed that vulnerable children such as children with disabilities, children with albinism, premature babies or specially gifted children are often the target of witchcraft accusations. The link between witchcraft and persons with albinism was also noted in western Sudan where persons with albinism were accused of taking part in "strange and dangerous practices" related to witchcraft.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 38
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Studies often link the prevalence of skin cancer to factors such as the lack of basic understanding of albinism, particularly by persons with albinism and their families. For example, it is not uncommon for parents to put a newborn with albinism out in the sun for hours. Displaced persons with albinism are exposed to a heightened risk of skin cancer as they are mostly outside of their usual environment and have limited means to address their health needs. Also at particular risk of developing skin cancer are persons with albinism who work outdoors, such as farmers or traders. Such outdoor occupations also emphasize the link between the risk of contracting skin cancer and poverty.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 32
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Such stories have also been reported in contemporary times. Village folklore describes how mothers are advised by midwives to sit on their babies or asphyxiate them at birth if they have albinism. In other cases, it seems that the child is left to die, with no food. Similarly, it has been reported that children with albinism have been instantly killed at birth for fear of the shame attached to the condition, or because of a belief that they bring bad luck. Other folklore describes practices such as drowning children with albinism in a lake or placing babies with albinism at the exit gate of a cow pen, where they are left to die from being trampled on by cattle. Still other folklore recounts the ritual killing of children with albinism, who have been accused of being witches, by putting them in bags and smashing the bags against a tree.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- 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
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- 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
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- 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. 9
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Paragraph text
- Further, it is also sometimes believed that albinism can be contracted by being in contact with albinism. The same myth is extended to things that have been touched by persons with albinism. There are also beliefs that if a pregnant woman looks at a person with albinism, even unintendedly, her unborn child will be born with albinism, unless she spits to neutralize the "curse". Persons spit at the person with albinism, on the floor, inside their shirts or on their stomachs in the case of pregnant women. One mother of a child with albinism reported that she gave birth to a child with albinism for having herself stared too hard at a person with albinism while fetching water during her pregnancy.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
7 shown of 7 entities