HUNTED FAMILY

WITCHCRAFT

The pale skin of albinos causes non-albinos to view such individuals as cursed. And witchcraft teaches that albinos are spirits rather than human beings. As spirits they have magical

MURDERS

This is the tragic story of being an albino in Malawi. While the government claims to be stopping the brutal murders of people with albinism, many albinos are still living in fear of being abducted and killed. When will this terror end?

“ABOUT two weeks ago my daughter was warned by some people that there was someone who was looking for albino bones,” said Nelia Melia, a mother of two children with albinism.

I immediately rushed to police, she said, and the suspect was arrested the same day.

A few days later, Melia said, the suspect was transferred to Chichiri Prison in Blantyre and put on remand.

Melia comes from Nkalo Village in Chiradzulu District and she fears for her children—Goodson Chiwaya who is 22 years-old and her 18-year-old daughter Emily Chiwaya

“My son likes doing business, moving door-to-door selling farm produce but he cannot do that anymore; he is not safe also,” she said.

Melia said that after she reported the matter to police about the evil-minded people looking for her daughter, her son has also been targeted. He was getting threats from various people and the threats have intensified over the past few weeks.

Police in Chiradzulu confirmed this week that Melia had indeed reported the matter.

Ramsy Mushani, Southern Region police spokesperson confirmed the arrest and promised more details later.

Melia’s case is the tragic story of being an albino in Malawi.

As the world commemorated International Albinism Awareness Day on June 13, 2018, the community in Malawi remembered how in 2014, two-year-old Whitney was abducted from her bed while she slept in her parent’s house. Later, Whitney’s skull, teeth and clothes were found in a neighbouring village.

Her gruesome murder happened after that of nine-year-old Harry, who was snatched from his home and found beheaded a few hours later.

The murders of Whitney and Harry, the two innocent children, were among the first reported albino murders that brought to the fore a human rights crisis in Malawi.

Hundreds of people, mostly in rural Malawi, are in danger because they are born with a genetic condition: albinism.

They are being hunted for their bones and body parts, and the perpetrators are going unpunished, or their cases are being delayed.

Since 2014, abductions and killings of persons with albinism have been on the rise, fueled by claims that albino bones “are a get way to riches”.

Unfortunately, the perverse beliefs of witch doctors have created a lucrative market for albino body parts.

So far there are 146 reported cases of attacks, 22 persons have been killed and nine are known to have been abducted.

Sadly, 72 percent are children, said the Association of People with Albinism (Apam) President Overstone Kondowe.

“Even in 2018 when the situation was said to have been contained, we witnessed 14 cases of rights violations against persons with albinism and three murder cases,” Kondowe said.

The abduction and killing of 22-year-old McDonald Masambuka in March 2018 has helped police make some breakthrough, arresting a police officer, medical officer and catholic priest. The three are implicated in the murder of Masambuka.

But Apam still feels that the government is not doing enough.

“It is one year and three months down the line since the President Peter Mutharika directed the Ministry of Lands and Housing to build safe houses for Alfred and Yohane Misoya,” Khondowe said.

Alfred and Yohane, brothers, survived an attack in their home in Chikwawa District, a district with nine reported cases of attacks on persons with albinism.

Alfred lost a hand in the attack.

“The two brothers are still sleeping in the same unsafe house with a grass thatched door,” Khondowe said.