GOVERNMENT has been urged to enact laws against the discrimination of people with albinism and other disabilities.
In other countries, they are sometimes ritualised or seen as the product of witchcraft.
Noble Hands Zimbabwe executive director and founder Willard Musiyarira said people with albinism suffer multiple forms of discrimination due to their skin pigmentation.
“As Albinism Konnect, we have realised untold discrimination practices by society, families, in schools and workplaces against persons with albinism which include systematic segregation, exclusion, physical and verbal abuse all which exacerbate into serious mental health issues, propagation of low esteem and inferiority complex on people with albinism,” Musiyarira said.
“On laws, Zimbabwe has got the disability policy, which is not yet an Act of Parliament which has some valid clauses to protect the rights of people with disabilities. We call for the full enactment of the disability policy to the letter and further debundle disability so that each disability is treated with its uniqueness.
“We also appeal to the government to include teaching training curriculum and nursing curriculum modules that deal with people with disabilities as we have seen some of the people with albinism in communities failing to access services due to negative perceptions by service providers.”
The Zimbabwe Albino Association has been lobbying Parliament to enact laws that make it mandatory for government to provide free skin lotions to people with albinism.
Albinism is a congenital condition characterised in humans by the partial or complete absence of melanin pigment in the skin, hair and eyes.
- ‘Enact laws against discrimination of people with albinism’
- Calls for more awareness on albinism
Keep Reading
Lack of skin pigmentation makes individuals susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers.
