A/HRC/43/42 violent acts committed clandestinely and with impunity. In this context, women with albinism are at extreme risk of violence, particularly in regions where attacks abound due to myths and misconceptions about albinism. 25. Reprisals: Women whose spouses, partners and family members were involved in attacks against their child with albinism often face threats of reprisal after testifying against their relatives during investigations and the prosecution process. The threats of reprisal reportedly come from relatives and the community at large. 26. Displacement: Both women with albinism and mothers of children with albinism have been displaced in the wake of physical attacks against persons with albinism in general. Many have gone to shelters set aside for them by governments to provide temporary safety. Some enter the shelters voluntarily and others enter through government and community intervention. Women and children with albinism constitute a significant number of the residents at these shelters, where often, minimal care is provided to them, particularly in the areas of psychosocial support, education, health treatment to prevent skin cancer and low vision support to enable education. B. Barriers to the enjoyment of human rights 1. Stigma and social exclusion 27. Mothers of children with albinism in parts of Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America are often accused of infidelity, of being solely responsible for their child’s albinism or of bringing a curse into the family. 15 There are also instances when women who give birth to children with albinism are expelled from the community because of concerns that they might give birth to more children with albinism, or that they will cause other women in the community to have children with albinism. 16 Some have left the community in order to ensure their own safety or that of their child with albinism. 28. Many have been expelled from their matrimonial homes, are divorced and face persistent ridicule.17 In one submission from Colombia, it was reported that some people believe that albinism is contagious, leading to social exclusion. The rejection of women with albinism and mothers of children with albinism exposes them to poverty and isolation in many countries, and increases their vulnerability to attacks in others. 29. Government-induced displacement is not particularly common, but the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania did set up temporary holding shelters for children with albinism and their guardians in order to ensure their safety from attacks. Unfortunately, the shelters became a medium to long-term solution and they are no longer considered to be in the best interest of the child. During an on-site visit to such shelters in the United Republic of Tanzania, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child noted that although the shelters had been established by the Government with the intention of protecting children with albinism, they did not meet the minimum standards to house children. 18 In 2016, the Independent Expert visited the shelters and noted some improvement in the living conditions. She made recommendations for further improvement and for the immediate and safe reintegration of the children into the community (A/HRC/37/57/Add.1, para. 107 (b) and (c)). Information on progress on the reintegration process was not available at the time of writing of the present report. 30. Both quantitative and qualitative data on specific vulnerabilities faced by children with albinism, including stigma and social isolation, are largely unavailable. Disaggregated data on children with albinism, including by sex, are also unavailable. However, some submissions received stated that girls with albinism often face a heightened risk of sexual 15 16 17 18 6 Submissions from Colombia, Haiti (Fondation ALBHA) and Zimbabwe. Submissions from Côte d’Ivoire, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. Submissions from Kenya and Zimbabwe. African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, “Report on investigative mission on the situation of children with albinism in temporary holding shelters – Tanzania” (Addis Ababa, 2016).