A/HRC/24/57 society organizations denounce the role the film industry plays in promoting and maintaining superstitious beliefs.17 18. This range of beliefs and superstitions leads to various forms of attacks against persons with albinism in many communities. These include ritual attacks, which usually result in death and which in some cases involve trade in organs, trafficking in persons and sale of children, infanticide and abandonment of children. A. Ritual attacks 19. The present report considers as ritual attacks those which reportedly aim to use the body parts of persons with albinism for the purposes of witchcraft. 20. There are beliefs according to which the body parts of persons with albinism possess magical powers capable of bringing riches and power if used in potions produced by local witchdoctors. As noted in a recent report by the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral on Violence against Children, persons with albinism are “perceived as a curse from the gods and a charm made from their body parts is considered to have magical powers that bring wealth, success and good luck”.18 21. Some even believe that the witchcraft ritual is more powerful if the victim screams during the amputation, so body parts are often cut from live victims, especially children. The use of children is likely linked to the pursuit of innocence which, it is believed, enhances the potency of the witchcraft ritual. Moreover, children are more vulnerable to attacks as they are easy to find and capture and do not have the physical strength to fend off attackers. 22. To date, OHCHR has received information about more than 200 cases of ritual attacks against persons with albinism in 15 countries between 2000 and 2013. Owing to the secret nature of witchcraft-related rituals and the vulnerability and stigmatization of the target population, it is believed that many attacks remain undocumented and unreported. 23. The attacks are committed in particularly horrifying circumstances, severely traumatizing survivors and families of the victims. The following examples provide an idea of the nature of these attacks. 24. On 11 February 2013, a 38-year-old woman with albinism was attacked with machetes by her husband and four other men while she was sleeping, and had her left arm chopped off. Her 8-year-old daughter witnessed the attack and saw her father coming out of the bedroom carrying the arm of her mother. The woman survived the attack. 25. On 31 January 2013, a 7-year-old boy with albinism was attacked while he was asleep. The attackers slashed his forehead, right arm, left shoulder and chopped off his left arm above the elbow, using machetes. The child did not survive the attack. His grandfather, a 95-year-old man, was killed while trying to protect his grandson. The child’s father and grandmother were also attacked and survived with serious injuries. 26. In most of the cases documented, the attacks involved dismembering the victim’s limbs and resulted in death. In a few other cases, the victims were beheaded; genitals, ears, and bits of skin were removed; tongues were cut out and the eyes and the heart gouged out. Other types of attacks reported included rape for healing purposes. 17 18 6 Reference is made in the submissions from UTSS and WHRIN to the portrayal of albinism in Hollywood and Nollywood (Nigeria) movies. Special Representative and Plan International, Protecting children from harmful practices in plural legal systems with a special emphasis on Africa (New York, 2012).