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Albino humans in Africa being hunted and murdered for their body parts

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According to a recent report by Amnesty International, Albino people in the African country of Malawi are being hunted, kidnapped, raped and murdered and the trend, the organization fears, will continue. Malawi is located in the southeastern section of the continent and its marketing slogan is that the country is “The Warm Heart of Africa”.

Most African cultures consider the body parts of albinos to contain magic that can be harnessed and the body parts of these people are also considered to bring happiness and good luck. It is because of these superstitions and beliefs that albinos are being hunted down and murdered by roaming criminal gangs and their body parts either kept by the hunters or sold in the open markets.

The fear and terror of being hunted down and murdered has forced nearly 10,000 albinos to alter their ways of life. Even children are not immune. Many are being sent to convents of the voodoo religion. Amnesty International states that albinos, especially in Malawi, may be hunted into extinction. Albinism is a genetic disease that causes people to have no pigmentation in their skin and their hair is also white and they tend to have pinkish colored eyes.

Police described one murder as being rather typical. The people are murdered and then their arms and legs are cut off and bones are removed from the bodies. The bodies are then cast off into the wilderness. One of the saddest things people must live with is that it is often a trusted family member or relative who will do the deed or lead the albinos to the gangs that will murder and dismember them.

The Malawi national police, as well as the central government, have been totally ineffective in doing anything about this. They, of course, declare that they “are doing everything we can” but, for the most part, they are doing nothing. The government could be educating the people with regard to albinism being and affliction and medical condition but they are not doing this. Because of this, the religious beliefs and superstitions remain strong. Often, parents of an albino child will simply abandon it leaving it as easy pickings for the murderers and traffickers.

PHOTO CREDIT: Taringa.net