A/HRC/43/42/Add.1 Expert received many reports describing psychosocial issues faced by persons with albinism. 46. Discrimination has a damaging cumulative effect on the psychosocial health and self-esteem of many persons with albinism, some of whom reported a fear of going out in public because of mockery, rejection and discrimination. This fear is further compounded by ongoing personal safety and security issues. 47. To entrench dignified names for persons with albinism, and to speed up changes to mindsets and to misbeliefs about persons with albinism, sensitization is crucial, which needs to include mass awareness-raising efforts at the grass-roots level for a minimum period of two years. This is based on best practices. Such sensitization should be wide in scope, and continuous – not ad hoc. It should also target sectors such as education and health, use local languages, and involve persons with albinism. (d) Health 48. Persons with albinism are highly vulnerable to skin cancer, which is a primary cause of early death in most persons with albinism. Though South Africa has a national cancer strategy, skin cancer is not one of its area of focus. However, it is laudable that the Government has added sunscreen lotions to its list of essential medicines, making the product available and free of charge to persons with albinism. Nonetheless, persons with albinism are concerned about consistency in availability, and about accessibility – particularly in rural areas and where people have to travel distances to reach supply points. There were also reports about the quality of these products. Based on best practices, particularly practices in Kenya, persons with albinism should choose the sunscreen that works best for them through consultations and focus groups that are familiar with the diverse climate conditions in the country. The generally accepted sunscreen could be procured, or produced locally through a social enterprise employing persons with albinism and/or other disabilities.23 49. In rural areas, medical specialists such as dermatologists do not have enough training about albinism, and some have been biased against clients with albinism. Accessing the right optical device is also problematic, as there are often some that are not available in the country. There is also a lack of specialists in ophthalmology and optometry who are trained in low vision. 50. Some persons with albinism reported having access to “care packs”, which included sun-protective clothing and sunglasses, among other health-related items. This is a positive initiative, which should be evaluated, and scaled up with the help of civil society, especially to poorer communities which have systemic barriers to accessing goods and services. 51. The psychosocial health of persons with albinism was regularly raised, in relation to frequent humiliation and discrimination – from society at large, from health workers, at schools, at churches and in nearly all other spheres of society. As was aptly put in one study that remains relevant: “It is very difficult to nurture social relationships despite a nonnormative body and to construct a viable and life-sustaining sense of self while constantly being rejected by others.”24 This is particularly the case for conditions such as albinism, which are misunderstood. 52. The cumulative effect of social exclusion takes a toll on persons with albinism and leads to suicidal tendencies and drug abuse. Medical professionals should equip the parents of children with albinism – right from birth – with accurate knowledge about the condition. Information on albinism should be incorporated into all curricula for the training of health and education practitioners, across the country. Mothers of children with albinism should also be trained about albinism, as they often do not get this information from the health 23 24 10 See A/HRC/37/57/Add.1. C. Baker, Patricia Lund, Julie Taylor and Richard Nyathi, “The myths surrounding people with albinism in South Africa and Zimbabwe”, Journal of African Cultural Studies, vol. 22, No. 2 (2010), pp. 169–181.