Mozambique: Albinos fighting against stigma and discrimination

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Mozambique: Albinos fighting against stigma and discrimination

7:27 CAT | 11 Jun 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: AIM]

Mozambican albinos are complaining of stigma and discrimination and are demanding respect, said Mozambican Justice Minister Mateus Saize on Monday in Maputo, as he launched a Week of Awareness about Albinism.

Disinformation about the causes of albinism leads to dangerous myths that there is something magical about the body parts of albinos. In several countries, including Mozambique, albinos have been killed so that their body parts can be used in gruesome rituals which supposedly confer wealth or power on the participants.

The criminals who attack people with albinism “take advantage their body parts to and use them in witchcraft, as they believe that these parts, while their owners are still alive, increase the potency of magic potions”, said Saize.

He added that people with albinism also face brutal violence, which in some cases can lead to mutilation. “That’s why they live in fear, not because of their genetic condition, but because of the ignorance, myths and false beliefs that still prevail in some communities in our country. These harmful practices are unacceptable and must be strongly repudiated by all of us, because they constitute a violation of the principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic and in International Human Rights Treaties”, he said.

The minister believes that the approval of the National Action Plan on Albinism in 2015 has led to significant advances in several areas regarding the protection of people with albinism, “including psycho-social support, access to quality health care, and combating discrimination, human trafficking and organ harvesting.”

“We have intensified initiatives with a positive impact, with the main focus on harmonizing criminal laws on crimes against persons with albinism; carrying out national and international awareness campaigns, and social inclusion, especially of children with albinism in schools”, he said.

The government, he said, has been working with Civil Society Organizations for the promotion of the rights of people living with albinism, “by supporting their education, health and legal protection.”

“Our main challenges”, Saize added, “are the lack of reliable statistical data on the number of people with albinism in Mozambique, the difficult access to specialized health care, the fight against impunity in cases of violence and the weak inclusion in public policies and national budgets”.

During the ceremony, the Forum of Mozambican Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FAMOD) launched the “Rights for Inclusion” project, which is funded by the Norwegian government, for a period of three years.

“The project will promote access to rights and social inclusion for people with disabilities and people with albinism in Mozambique, through advocacy, institutional capacity building for organizations of people with disabilities, and support for service providers to adopt a human rights approach to service provision”, said the FAMOD chairperson, Zeca Chaúque.

Source: AIM