A/HRC/28/75
C.
Right to an adequate standard of living and other fundamental rights
21.
The situation of persons with albinism who have gone into, or have remained in,
hiding in the wake of attacks against them, is worrisome. For instance, according to
information received by OHCHR, hundreds of children with albinism have been living in
appalling conditions in 13 centres for displaced children and adults with albinism in
Tanzania, after being abandoned by their families or fleeing their homes further to a spate
of killings and attacks against them. Some of the centres are administered by the
Government while others are owned by faith-based organizations.
22.
Further, according to information received, the centres are overcrowded and the
health and hygiene conditions are very poor . In addition, owing to very limited human and
financial resources, teaching and learning materials are almost non-existent. Health-wise,
there have been worrisome reports of skin cancer at various stages, which is visible on
many of the children with albinism living in the centres, partly owing to the lack of
awareness amongst staff as well as a lack of basic health information on self-care for the
persons with albinism themselves. Sexual abuse has been reported in some of the centres.
In a press release of 15 May 2014, the former High Commissioner also expressed
concern about the situation of children with albinism living in the centres. She called on the
Tanzanian authorities to take urgent measures to assess and address the situation in the
centres, including allegations of sexual harassment and abuse, and the poor living
conditions. She added that staff working with people with albinism should be trained on
their special needs, in particular with regard to basic preventive measures to avoid skin
cancer. In August 2014, a United Nations mission visited two of the centres and expressed
concern that the centres reinforce segregation of persons with albinism and separate
children from their families.16 There is therefore an urgent need to look into long-term
solutions to reintegrate the children into their communities, avoiding over-reliance on
institutions as safe places for children17.
23.
24.
Another example is Burundi, where, after a spate of killings and attacks registered
from 2008 to 2012, persons with albinism were accommodated in police stations and
houses nearby to guarantee their safety. An assessment of displaced persons with albinism
in the Northern Province of Kayanza, in Musongati and in Gitega, recently conducted by
the OHCHR field presence, shows the precarious security situation of some of them and the
negative impact of the measure on the right to an adequate standard of living.
25.
Those concerns were reiterated by the Human Rights Committee in its 2014
concluding observations, requesting Burundi to continue its efforts to protect persons with
albinism and to find lasting solutions to their situation.18
Rights, outcome report of the Expert Meeting on Persons with Albinism; Violence, Discrimination
and Way Forward, 24 September 2014 (see footnote 15), para. 21.
16
The joint mission from OHCHR and the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Tanzania visited Buhangiya
Primary School in Shynyanga District, which houses 174 children with albinism and Mitindo Primary
School in Misungwi District, which houses 45 children with albinism.
17
The Committee on the Rights of the Child included a reference to those centres in the list of issues on
Tanzania adopted on 27 June 2014 (CRC/C/TZA/Q/3–5), also mentioned in para. 53 of the present
report. This is also a recommendation from the Expert Meeting: see outcome report of the Expert
Meeting on Persons with Albinism, 24 September 2014 (see footnote 15), para. 73.
18
CCPR/C/BDI/CO/2; see also para. 55 of the present report.
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