BLANTYRE (Maravipost)—Over the years, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), including those with albinism have been pushing and pressing for inclusiveness and equal rights, and hoped, just like any other person, for a better life, life with many other better things.
They hoped government would hear their voices and concerns to address and ‘fix’ some issues claimed to be impeding on the rights.
But years down the line, the situation seem to be more challenging. They are caught in cobweb of murder cases of PWAs and perpetrators are hardly figured out.
When one hears 32 year-old Emmie Chiumia, who hails from Kamndavwa village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mtwalo in northern district of Mzimba and currently based in Zomba, they should easily detect the fear instilled in her following recent reported killings and missing of her fellow Persons with Albinism (PWAs) let alone lack of “sufficient security” in the country.
Albino people, who lack pigment in their skin, have faced attacks for their body parts, which witchdoctors believe bring good luck and wealth.
A 68 year-old woman, Malita Makolija, from Masali Village, T/A Mwambo, Zomba who was reported missing and found dead with her head, arms and legs missing on January 17 this year. More cases including the missing of two year-old girl, from Chidambo village, T/A Kawinga, Machinga and killing of a 25 year-old Violet Kanyama, from Gawani village, T/A Njema in Mulanje were reported.
More than 1200 people have albinism in the country, according to FEDOMA Executive Director Action Amos.
“Why killing us like goats and chicken? We can’t go our usual business because of such inhuman, gruesome and barbaric killing of albino people,” says Chiumia.
She is troubled; she can’t fully enjoy her constitution right to life as she now feels insecure even in her own community.
The United Nations condemns the abduction and killing of these people.
This also affects active participation of children and adults with albinism in socio-economic development activities.
Children cannot freely run errands.
Even Second Deputy Speaker of the Malawi Parliament, Dr Clement Chiwaya agrees with Chiumia that PWAs can no longer participate in social and economic activities because of fear.
“Death of any other person in the hands of somebody should not be condoned, whether that particular person has albinism or not. It’s very sad that these targeted killings have created a lot of fear among people with albinism so much that it has disrupted their normal lives.
“They can no longer go out and do social and economic activities that would better their lives because of fear that someone would target them and kill them,” observes Chiwaya.
Likewise, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati says albino people have a right to life and many better things—thus business, education, employment, security, medicine and region, not killings.
The United Nations Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the country’s Constitution also attest to this.
They both provide for the right to life of every person and that no person shall be arbitrarily deprived of his/her life.
“Persons with Albinism have also the right to life and must, therefore, be free from any harmful practices like any other Malawian. There can, therefore, be no excuse or justification for such criminal and bloodthirsty actions,” says Kaliati.
Both Kaliati and Chiwaya condemn perpetrators, mainly witchdoctors believed to be fueling these barbaric acts.
She argues that body parts of PWAs have never and will never bring good luck and wealth.
“Those people that have been cheated to kill albinos to get rich, they should know that witchdoctors just take advantage of their ignorance.
“They are just being cheated. It’s just an abuse of our people,” Kaliati points out.
She also calls upon all persons with albinism to avoid being in isolation while guardians with children with albinism not to leave the children all alone.
On calls to borrow a leaf from Tanzania where witchdoctors were banned on the same, the Minister says such suggestions can hardly be enforced considering that not all witchdoctors are behind theses targeted killings of albino people.
Secondly, action or an order to ban witchdoctors in Malawi, claimed to be a democratic and liberalized society, can likely be challenged by court injunctions.
“Much as we cannot tell witchdoctors behind these killings, banning them would bring more bickering and chaos between the Executive arm of government and the judiciary.
“You might recall that calls and action to ban production and packaging of liquor in sachets were challenged with a court injunction. As such, any attempt to ban witchdoctors, would result in judicial and legal battle with them.
“We need just join hands in finding last solutions and ensure security for persons with albinism,” explains Kaliati.
However, Dr. Mfitizilile Dunga and Dr Diness Samilamtengo, all witchdoctors based in Mulanje and Blantyre, respectively, argue that it’s just a myth that witchdoctors use body parts of albino people for rituals.
Dunga further suggests that “we and the government” should come together and “show strength as one and speak as one” to deal with the problem.
“Government and campaigners for the rights of persons with albinism should consider us in speaking against those barbaric acts. We are equally concerned because those killings have reflected badly and dented our profession and services,” asserts Dunga.
While Samilamtengo also acknowledges that it is a violation of the universally-accepted international rights instruments and above all “our own Republican Constitution” which protects all people regardless of their status or disability among others.
But Boniface Masa, Chairperson of the Association of Persons with Albinism (APAM) calls on government through the responsible ministry to ensure security to all its citizens including persons with albinism in the country.
Masa also asks law enforcers to do everything possible to ensure that the culprits are found and brought to book and face the wrath of the law.
“We request the general public to assist in providing the police with information which may lead to the arrest of such criminals and also take the responsibility of protecting each other; relatives; neighbors; and colleagues with albinism from such unlawful acts,” says Masa.
So too, Chiwaya requests communities to report to police perpetrators of these targeted killings so that justice can be served.
“Again, once due the process of taking these people to court and once they are convicted, my request is that the judiciary, more especially our judges should melt out really stiff sentences so that they can deter those people from continuing with these acts.
“I still feel the police need to do more by doing a lot of investigations to get hold of these culprits who are really destroying the lives of people with albinism in the country,” suggests Chiwaya.
While Peter Ngowa, Acting Executive Director of Macoha and an expert in Disability Laws, feels it is high time Malawi laws were enforced not only to stop attacks on people with albinism, but also address many challenges people with disabilities face in the country.
According to Ngomwa, there is need for government and all campaigners including the Malawi Police to revisit their responsibilities and possibly focus on enforcing existing legal instruments.
“I believe this way we can get rid of these incidents once and for all,” says Ngomwa.
For instance, the Constitution, according to him, guarantees PWDs against discrimination of any kind and it mandates government to actively promote the welfare and development of people by progressively adopting and implementing policies and legislation aimed to support PWDs through greater access to public places; equal opportunities for employment; and fullest possible participation in all spheres of Malawi society.
“Every person has the right to freely engage in economic activity, to work and to pursue a livelihood anywhere in Malawi.
“All persons peoples have a right to development and therefore to the enjoyment of economic, social, cultural and political development,” says Ngomwa.
He therefore asserts that the Constitution is an important legislative framework that ensures that the rights of PWDs are upheld and in many aspects it is in line with international policy and legislative frameworks.
Malawi Human Rights Communication (MHRC) admits that there is still a long way to go in leveling the playing field for PWDs.
MHRC Chairperson Ambassador Sophie Kalinde notes, for example, that “almost all buildings” in the country are not user
