Investigators, prosecutors and magistrates are still using old laws in investigating and prosecuting cases related to offences committed against persons with albinism, instead of the amended Anatomy Act and the Penal Code of 2016, a recent study has established.<\/p>\n
This is said to be compromising the delivery of justice.<\/p>\n
High Court Judge Redson Kapindu conducted the study with financial support from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).<\/p>\n
The survey was aimed at establishing challenges encountered in investigating, prosecuting and sentencing people who commit crimes against persons with albinism in Malawi.<\/p>\n
Kapindu, who is a visiting professor of law at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, presented findings of his study to a high level meeting he had with UN Women, police and members of the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) in Lilongwe last Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said, despite various positive efforts, including the adoption of a Handbook for Investigators, Prosecutors and Magistrates in 2016, little progress has been made in expediting cases throughout the due process of the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study showed that whilst the amendments to the Anatomy Act and the Penal Code in 2016 that significantly enhanced the maximum penalties on offences against persons with albinism have led on the whole to the imposition of stiffer sentences, there are still instances where investigators, prosecutors and magistrates have erroneously applied the old law,\u201d Kapindu said.<\/p>\n
The meeting was also aimed at brainstorming on the practical steps to take in accelerating investigation and prosecution of cases related to attacks on persons with albinism.<\/p>\n
Kapindu said his study also established that cases of attacks on people with albinism have decreased between 2015 and 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis however does not mean the attacks have stopped. The recent case of MacDonald Masambuka who disappeared from his village in Machinga on March 9 2018 and was later reported to have been murdered serves as a clear signal that the problem of attacks on persons with albinism is present and grave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
UN Women Country Representative, Clara Anyangwe, said the UN family remains concerned that even though there have been several convictions, abduction with intention to murder, and several convictions for possession of human bones\/tissue, the delays in prosecutions instill panic and fear in communities who expect that these cases will be expedited.<\/p>\n
Speaking at Mwenilondo Full Primary School in Karonga on Saturday during the commemoration of this year\u2019s International Albinism Awareness Day, Anyangwe appealed for increased awareness and understanding of the condition of albinism in order to fight discrimination and stigma against persons with albinism.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersons with albinism in Malawi face various social challenges as their condition is often a source of discrimination, fear and related violence. Women and children with albinism are particularly vulnerable as they are exposed to intersecting and multiple forms of discrimination.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UN family pledges to continue supporting the implementation of the 2018\/22 National Action Plan on Persons with Albinism in Malawi Action Plan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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