UN creates watchdog for albino rights after surge in attacks

Geneva (AFP) - The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday decided to appoint an expert to investigate abuses suffered by albinos, who have faced a surge of attacks in east Africa.

The 47-member council adopted by consensus a resolution establishing the three-year watchdog position.

It expressed "grave concern at attacks and widespread violations against persons with albinism, including women and children, persons with disabilities and the elderly."

The resolution, presented by Algeria on behalf of the group of African states, comes after UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein earlier this month decried a steep hike in attacks on albinos in east Africa.

"These attacks are often stunningly vicious, with children in particular being targeted," Zeid said.

In the past six months, at least 15 people with albinism in Tanzania, Malawi and Burundi have been abducted, wounded, killed or escaped being kidnapped, his office said.

Attacks on albinos are often motivated by the use of body parts for witchcraft rituals.

The UN has warned that the surge in Tanzania could be linked to looming general and presidential elections in October 2015, as political campaigners may be turning to influential sorcerers to improve their odds.

Tanzanian authorities imposed a ban on witchcraft in January.

Albinism is a hereditary genetic condition which causes a total absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes.

It affects one Tanzanian in 1,400, often as a result of inbreeding, experts say, compared to just one person in 20,000 in western countries.

Thursday's resolution also voiced concern about discrimination against albinos elsewhere.

"In various parts of the world, persons with albinism continue to face barriers to their participation as equal members of society and violations and abuses of their human rights."

"Greater attention is needed to address these challenges," it said.

The new independent expert on rights of people with albinism, who will be appointed by the council president, will be tasked with reporting abuses.

He or she will also be asked to help "combat stereotypes, prejudices and harmful traditional practices and beliefs" about people with albinism, the resolution said.

BYEBYE CEREMONY TO GIACOMO IN KABANGA SCHOOL

WE CAN'T REACH ANY HIGHER IF WE CAN'T FEEL ORDINARY LOVE(Unforgettable message from Giacomo to Kabanga Community)

Govt lax on albino killings, critics say

The resumption of attacks on Albinos this year have reenforced allegations that wichdoctors use use body parts of albino’s to make spells bring good luck and can, allegedly, be used to conjure up votes and help politicians win elections, stakeholders say.

Speaking to Political Platform on various ocassions politicians and activists urged the governemnt to step up efforts to nab the culprits and prevent more attacks to albinos from happening. The kidnaps and killings of albino have brought interntional condemnation and affected Tanzania’s image abroad.

Of late an albino toddler was kidnapped in Geita region and later found buried in a shallow grave with all his limbs cut off in a forest in Biharamulo, Kagera region. Unknown attackers broke into the house and slashed the child’s mother with machetes before snatching the one-and-half-year-old Yohana Bahati late last month.

The mother is still admitted at the Bugando hospital. A four-year-old albino girl was abducted in December a village in Mwanza region is still missing but 14 people have now been arrested. Following the abduction the government banned witchdoctors as part of a nationwide operation to clamp down on attacks on people living with albinism.

At least 75 albinos have been murdered in the country in the past 15 years. About 56 attacked albinos cheated death while 11 have were inflicted permanent injuries.

Kondo Seif Public Education official from the Under the Same Sun (UTSS) organisation, an NGO created to defend the rights of albinos in the country, says he has noted that albino attacks usually increase close or in election years.

He admits, however, that there is conclusive proof that indicate that politicians use magical spells concocted out of albino body parts, but say he has not failed to notice an increase in attacks or attempted attacks on albino in elections years.

“In fact it has been the trend since 2005 and 2010 the years that the country held General Elections,” Mr Kondo noted.

The minister of Home Affairs Mathias Chikawe has been reported saying while there are indications that albino parts are used by witchdoctors to help bring goodluck to their “clients” there is no proof that politicians are also the beneficiaries.

It is, however, well known that some politicians have a tendency of seeking the “aid” of witchdoctors in their political undertakings.

About four people were charged last week at the high cort in Mwanza over the murder of an albino woman six years ago in Geita but stakeholders say it is too little too late.

The four, who pleaded not guilty, are accused of killing the 22-year-old Zawadi Magindu at Nyamalulu village in Geita in November 2008 and cutting off her legs and one arm.

ALBINO KILLINGS MUST STOP!!!

Enough! Seriously, it is enough. These albino killings, they have to stop already. Hapana, we cannot keep going like this. It is completely unacceptable. Do you hear me? Unacceptable! What we see in the news, it cannot be happening in Tanzania; in our own land and around our clock. What has gotten to us?

Every time I hear that someone with albinism has been murdered, I think of how that contradicts who we claim to be as Tanzanians – polite, kind, loving, caring, wajamaa. Well, I guess this proves that so much has changed with the economic changes that our country has faced. The Tanzanian children do not belong to the village, as it used to be. We have become scavengers, strangers and alien to each other.

The more the Shilling is hard to get, the greedier and inhumane we seem to be. So should we blame it on the Shilling? It is the economy that has pushed us to cook our children in the name of riches, isn’t it? We sell them to the black market as if they were just any other commodity. What has become of us? This is another form of slavery only that the slave doesn’t live long to endure and triumph. I am telling you, it has got to stop.

And you know, the government is making promises again. She is wooing us, again. Telling us, oh it is going to be just fine. Just fine? By removing the witchdoctors from the equation? Of course it is not going to be just fine. If the witch doctor is still in business, it simply means that there is someone who keeps him there. Someone who makes him demand hair, a bone, skin of a person with Albinism. And it’s not like the government doesn’t know who and where they are. I refuse to believe that. If they can ‘handle’ some of the ‘greatest’ terrorists of our time (if being a terrorist is something to be great); the likes of Osama and Jihadi John; if the government is capable of working with other international bodies to ‘solve this,’ then this shouldn’t be hard to overcome. Remove the demand and you will deal with the supply.

But I am sure that they will say, witchcraft is an African problem, isn’t it? And it isn’t even real, is it? So we cannot hold them accountable because we don’t believe in witchcraft. Aha! Saying that in the public and then going to the witchdoctors themselves in hiding. We have become such hypocrites. No, no, no, this cannot continue this way. Something’s got to give.(By;Ester Mngondo)

THE 6 YEARS CHILD MUTILATED HIS RIGHT PALM IN SUMBAWANGA

 A child with albinism, Baraka Cosmas, 6, has been attacked and his right palm severed by unknown assailants in Kipeta Village, Sumbawanga District in a brutal incident that took place at around 2am yesterday. Rukwa regional police commander Jacob Mwaruanda told reporters that the attackers broke into the house where the boy was sleeping with his mother, Ms Prisca Shaban, 26.

He said the thugs attacked the boy’s mother using machetes when she fought them off as they attemped to seize him.

The RPC said that during the struggle, the assailants managed to chop off the child’s right palm and disappeared with it.

“The brave mother was hit  repeatedly and sustained injuries as she refused to give up the child and instead continued to fight back; they managed to severe the child’s right palm and ran away with it,” said the RPC.

KASULU COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON VISIT IN KABANGA CENTER

Our District Education Officer Mr.Karugutu at left introducing Mr.Cosmas(Our students who is physical impaired) to our district Council chairperson Mr.Lutuli at the mid and the NMB bank -Kasulu branch manager at right and others on the day when NMB bank were in providing their donations in Kabanga center.(Many thanks to NMB Bank-Kasulu branch for their donation)

ENTERTAINMENT DAY

Today we started a new program of allowing the students who are physically challenged to show their talents on stage/before others,this is to strengthen their relationship,love,peace and to promote their talents as you can see the pictures.Something  funny today they made a hat using grasses and give it to me as a gift,see it to the  below picture.They real enjoy a lot.