THE Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) is urgently appealing for intervention to put an end to the ongoing attacks against people with albinism in the country. The call comes after a distressing incident in June, where unidentified individuals tampered with a grave in Blantyre, exhumed a body, and removed its arms and legs. Advocates say this incident has further heightened fears within the community.
Young Mahamba, the president of APAM, revealed that this incident marks the seventh attack this year alone. He stated, ‘We also had three tampering with graves and another two attacks on the 9th of last month [June 9]. And also, in Phalombe, there was the tampering of graves. This one was discovered on 20th March without limbs as [was] this one.’
Official data indicates that since 2014, more than 170 albinos have been killed or targeted in Malawi due to false beliefs that their body parts possess magical properties and bring luck and wealth.
In the past, religious leaders, police officers, herbalists, and relatives of the deceased have been implicated and arrested in connection with these attacks and body exhumations. Just recently, a high court in Blantyre sentenced a police officer, a Catholic priest, and four others to 30 years of imprisonment with hard labour after they were found guilty of trafficking human remains of a person with albinism.
Pauline Kaude, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability, and Social Welfare, told VOA that the government has been working on seven priority areas in its national action plan since 2019 to combat such attacks. These areas include improving security, ensuring justice administration, and empowering people with albinism.
While the government has taken steps to enhance security at the homes of vulnerable individuals with albinism, Mahamba of APAM emphasised the need for a collaborative effort. He urged international organisations to step forward and provide assistance, stressing that action should not be delayed until the situation worsens.
Mahamba expressed the necessity for the government to review and enhance its efforts in protecting people with albinism from attacks, making changes wherever necessary. ‘If you ask each and every person with albinism here in Malawi, they will tell you that this issue hasn’t stopped, and we don’t have peace. So, there is no time [to] relax, to hold the breaks in terms of our security,’ he said.
Peter Kalaya, the national spokesperson for Malawi Police Service, acknowledged the challenges faced by the police in making progress due to the persistent false beliefs surrounding the demand for body parts. Kalaya stressed that there is no evidence of a viable market for such gruesome trade. He mentioned that the police are working on various interventions, including a program empowering community members to detect and report suspected incidents targeting people with albinism. The programme has resulted in the arrest of numerous suspects involved in these attacks.
The plight of people with albinism in Malawi continues to demand immediate attention and collaborative efforts to ensure their safety and protection from heinous attacks.
