Association of People with Albinism (APAM) has called on government to translate political will into action by implementing administrative and legislative measures to end the ongoing killings and abductions of persons with albinism.
The association has stated this in a statement released Friday following the abduction of lsaac Mayeso, a 9-year-old boy with albinism from Makuwa village Traditional Authority Mabuka in Mulanje who was abducted on 28 May this year by a gang of men while in Mozambique where he went at the invitation of his relatives.
Mayeso was snatched by a gang of people after they forcefully broke into his grandmother’s house while he was visiting Mozambique.
In its statement signed by the associations’ president Overstone Kondowe, Apam has noted that one year has passed since President Peter Mutharika vowed to protect persons with albinism.
“One year ago, President Arthur Peter Mutharika vowed to protect persons with albinism in Malawi after Amnesty International lifted the lid on the crimes including killings and abductions against people with Albinism in Malawi,” the organisation says.
It adds that the continued attacks are a clear indication of collective failure to guarantee the right to life for people with albinism.
“Unless we have national and regional commitments by Malawi and Mozambique to end the cross border trade of body parts of persons with albinism, then we will begin to break chains and create evidence of the root cause and markets,” says the statement.
According to Apam, lack of joint investigations and trial of similar cases remains a total denial of justice to persons with albinism and their families.
Since November 2014, 21 people with albinism have been killed in the country and 121 cases of the attacks have been recorded countrywide.
Persons with albinism have become targets of criminal gangs operating in Malawi who hunt them like animals for their body parts.
The attacks are driven by myths that the body parts bring lucky charms. However there is no proof to the latter and there is no known market for the body parts.
