People with albinism being hunted and killed in Malawi for their body parts
In the African country of Malawi, people with albinism are being haunted and killed for their body parts. These body parts are then being sold to witch doctors who make potions that they claim bring good luck and prosperity.
Albinism is an incurable condition that is genetically inherited that results in a lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin and eyes. People with albinism are also vulnerable to the sun light.
In many African countries, the lack of melanin makes people with albinism stand out as these communities are often made up of people of color. In Malawi and 23 other countries in Africa with albinism face discrimination and even abductions that lead to killings.
According to a new Amnesty International report, at least 18 albino people have been killed in Malawi since November 2014. At least five others have been abducted and remain missing the report says. There are also cases of the graves of people with albinism being looted by people who remove bones to sell them.
Police in Malawi believe the rise violence is a result of the country's neighbor Tanzania imposing more strict measures against this type of violence in January 2015. Now, the albino population of Malawi (7,000 to 10,000 people) constantly live in fear of losing their lives to violent crimes committed by criminal gang members.
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