A/HRC/34/59
of attacks; providing psychosocial support to victims; and the review, amendment and
enactment of legislation where necessary to ensure the protection of persons with albinism.
62.
Similarly, on 24 November 2015, Mozambique adopted an action plan to respond to
attacks, with concrete, time-bound measures. The action plan is based on a preliminary
socio-anthropological study on albinism conducted by the Institute of Social-Cultural
Research. The main areas of the action plan are promoting education on albinism, public
education and awareness-raising on the issue among families and communities;
guaranteeing protection and social assistance to persons with albinism; ensuring prevention
of attacks, legal assistance and procedural celerity; sharing and publication of judicial
decisions as a means of deterrence; and conducting further research to improve measures
identified in the plan and to support evidence-based policymaking.
63.
Both plans adopt a multisectoral approach intended to address albinism as a crosscutting issue. This approach is necessary to expedite integration of the issue into existing
departments while harnessing the varied expertise of stakeholders in the development of
specific programmes aimed at persons with albinism.
Regional action plan
64.
In 2016, the Independent Expert, in collaboration with regional human rights
mechanisms, launched a process towards the development of a regional action plan to
address attacks against persons with albinism in sub-Saharan Africa. The action plan seeks
to identify concrete measures for implementing recommendations made by various human
rights and other bodies and to translate them into a concrete road map for action with timebound measures.
65.
The Independent Expert emphasizes the need to incorporate in the plan, as in all
initiatives on the issue, a dual or twin-track approach. This includes, on the one hand, an
emergency and priority response in the area of protection against and prevention of attacks
and, on the other hand, the adoption of long-term policies to fight discrimination; address
rampant myths, dangerous misconceptions, stigma and witchcraft practices affecting
persons with albinism; and ensure full enjoyment by those persons of their socioeconomic
rights, among others.
66.
Measures identified can be implemented by integrating them into existing, broader
frameworks, including laws and policies to implement the rights of persons with
disabilities, on access to health, on the rights of women and children, on access to justice
services, on victim support services and to eliminate racial discrimination (including
discrimination based on colour). Such measures should be extended to the family members
of persons with albinism and, in particular, to mothers of children with albinism and
women generally. At the same time, specific measures of protection and anti-discrimination
for persons with albinism should also be carried out where possible, particularly in
countries affected by attacks against persons with albinism and where neglect of this group
has been historical and dire.
2.
Best practices and other considerations for the way forward
Repealing outdated witchcraft legislation
67.
In 2013, the Parliament of Papua New Guinea repealed the Sorcery Act (1971) in
total. The Act, whose objective was “to prevent and punish evil practices of sorcery and
other similar evil practices”, acknowledged the existence of sorcery and criminalized its
practice, including attacks against people accused of sorcery. In 2014, new legislation
criminalizing killings related to sorcery was enacted.
15
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