Standing Voice, an organisation that fights for rights of people with albinism, says psychological torture is a leading cause of mental health issues among people with albinism.
Standing Voice has therefore called on traditional chiefs to collaborate with all rights defenders to fight for people with albinism.
Standing Voice, Executive Director, Boniface Massah said this in Zomba during two-day interface with traditional chiefs, parents of children with albinism, community policing forum members, police officers and medical personnel.
The interface discussed ways and means of protecting people with albinism and this was part of Standing Voice’s project called Ufulu Wanga (My Right ) which receives funding from European Union.
Massah who is also one of the Commissioner with Malawi Human Right Commission said the EU funded project is meant to encourage the community to offer protection to people with albinism in their respective locations.
Though there is reduction in killings of people with albinism, Massah said there are still other challenges the people face citing genderbased violence, cases of impregnating girls with albinism for rituals and children with albinism dropping from schools due to fear of attacks and killings.
He therefore called on government to build decent houses that should provide safety to people with albinism who cannot afford such houses.
“Let government provide adequate financial resources so that we should deal problems people with albinism face in their respective localities,” Massah.
Youth net and Counseling (YONECO) Executive Director, Mac Ben Mkandawire, said people with albinism have rights like all human beings.
He therefore said chiefs, faith leaders and all community members have collective responsibilities to offer protection to people with albinism against all forms of violence so that they should enjoy their rights without fear.
Mkandawire observed that Malawi has policies and good laws but fail to effects them for the good of its citizens.
He then called on the people that attended the meeting to practice what was discussed to ensure that people with albinism are protected from any form of violence.
