Rights activist Ian Desmond Simbota says Malawi Police Service is making progress on inclusion following the recruitment of two people with albinism.
Simbota over the weekend shared pictures of two Malawi Police officers who are the first persons with albinism to be recruited by the Malawi Police Service. The two are Hamid Vasco and Brenda Mhlanga.
He said: “These are the two guys who have broken the record by being the first to be police officers with Albinism in Malawi and person with Albinism myself, am very happy and proud for this development.”
He added that recruitment of persons with albinism into the police service was one of the issues Association of Persons with Albinism (APAM) had been advocating for.
“APAM lobbied for this when I was president and am very proud once again that for the first time in history, we have an inclusive Malawi Police Service,” said Simbota.
In Malawi, persons with albinisms are hunted for their body parts which some people wrongly believe can cure diseases or bring luck. Attacks against people with albinism in Malawi range from killings, tampering with graves and abductions.
Approximately 170 crimes against people, including more than 20 murders, have been reported in Malawi since 2014.
