The Plight of African Albinos: Hunted for their Limbs

When you say the word "albino", most people think of the pale-faced, white-haired, bespectacled psycho Casper from "Me, Myself and Irene." I know I did.

But there is more to albinism than just looking different.
For some, it can mean skin cancers, severe eye problems, social isolation, mutilation, and even death.

"Albino" is the most common term given to people with a congenital disorder called achromia, also known as albinism. This medical condition is characterised by a lack of pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes, due to a recessive gene defect which makes the body incapable of producing the enzyme melanin. This is what gives albinos their striking appearance.

The albinism gene mutation occurs throughout the globe in all ethnicities.
All cases of albinism are striking to behold, but perhaps none more so than the albinos of African descent.

These unique individuals are most at risk of skin cancers and eye problems under the hot African sun.
But to add to this the threat of mutilation, and even death, and you get a picture of what it's like to be an albino in East Africa. African albinos’ limbs are highly valued, often fetching thousands of dollars on the black market by witch doctors who use the bones in potions they sell to those who think they bring prosperity.

Since 2007 in Tanzania, 64 people with albinism have been murdered for their body parts. Fourteen others have been mutilated, including a 13-year-old girl whose right arm was severed as she lay sleeping next to her mother.

In 2009 Mariamu Staford, a Tanzanian woman in her mid-20s, was sleeping in her hut when a group of men broke in and chopped off her arms.

This practice is obviously very concerning for both the albinos of Africa and their families, and the international community. Little wonder that so many Tanzanian albinos are flocking to a refuge on the remote island of Ukerewe on Lake Victoria, where such shocking behaviour is mercifully rare.

Hearing the plight of these beautiful, special people makes me so sad. Such brutal and outdated practices cannot be accepted, and I think more people should know of this horrific practice in order for something to be done about it. If you would like to know more, follow the links.
BEWARE: Brutal content.


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/death-toll-grows-for-african-albinos-hunted-for-witch-doctors-brews/

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/real_life/2017493/Albinos-in-Africa-find-a-haven-from-being-hunted-for-body-parts.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_people_with_albinism