A/HRC/31/63 bringing bad luck and being a source of shame to even their own families and communities. Mutilation and murders of children with albinism are mostly met by social silence and indifference.12 23. Challenges to ending impunity may include lack of confidence in the law enforcement or judicial system owing to fear of reprisals or stigmatization, ignorance of their rights or lack of financial resources. Barriers also subsist at the investigations level, where there might be difficulties in finding witnesses owing, inter alia, to stigmatization and discrimination, fear of reprisals (including through witchcraft), lack of comprehensive witness protection programmes, involvement of family members and lack of financial resources. Barriers subsisting at the prosecution stage may include restrictions in the implementation of the right to a fair trial and due process, such as the lack of adequate legal representation. In addition, even when perpetrators are successfully prosecuted, it has been reported that too often the sentence pronounced is not proportionate to the gravity of the crime committed. Such outcomes can undermine the trust of victims in the justice system and lead to a reduction in the number of cases reported. Other barriers to ending impunity can be found at the policy and legislative levels, including the need for a clear and adequate legal framework regarding albinism that covers attacks and the impact of witchcraft on the human rights of persons with albinism. 2. Trafficking in body parts 24. It has been reported that there is a market for body parts of persons with albinism. The body parts are reportedly sold both locally and across borders. The prices of body parts reportedly range from $2,000 for a limb to $75,000 for a “complete set” or a corpse.13 Civil society reports indicate that, motivated by those prices, family members and communities have sold, or attempted to sell, persons with albinism, thereby fuelling the supply side of this macabre trade. The prices also indicate the involvement of wealthy individuals as they stand in sharp contrast to the average annual income per capita reported in the affected regions. Given the underground nature of this trade, further study is needed to assess its scope and extent and, on that basis, to identify effective measures. 25. Recent cases of body-parts trafficking that were brought to the attention of the Independent Expert by civil society include cases where law enforcement agencies acted promptly and were able to prevent the sale and save the persons with albinism involved. In a few other cases, however, the body parts were harvested and have still not been recovered. 3. Related human rights violations 26. Attacks against persons with albinism in some areas have caused hundreds of persons, particularly women and children, to flee their homes and seek refuge in temporary shelters. This has been the case in remote border areas or in areas particularly affected by attacks. 27. In addition, as a protection measure, children have been transported to shelters, including police stations, schools or centres built for other needs, such as for people living with leprosy. Most of these shelters were neither designed nor prepared for an influx of persons with albinism, nor are they equipped to address the special needs of persons with albinism. Reports show that inhabitants with albinism are exposed to early skin cancer risk and various forms of abuse. Furthermore, as pointed out by the Human Rights Council 12 13 8 Ibid., para. 54. See International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Through albino eyes: The plight of albino people in Africa’s Great Lakes region and a Red Cross response, Advocacy report (2009), available at www.ifrc.org/Global/Publications/general/177800-Albinos-Report-EN.pdf.