Fears Persist That Violence Against Albinos in Tanzania Will Grow

The boy was just a year old when five men with machetes snatched him from his home. Two days later, the police found his body with the arms and legs lopped off.

The reason for the atrocity? The baby’s pale skin marked him as an albino, and, where he lived in southeast Africa, albinos are at risk because their body parts are used for witchcraft. They also face discrimination and are often shunned as outcasts.

Albinism is a hereditary genetic condition that causes an absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes and is often linked by researchers to inbreeding. It is particularly prevalent in Tanzania, affecting one person in 1,400, compared with one in 20,000 in the West.

After the abduction of the baby last weekend, his mother was taken to a hospital to be treated for cuts to her face and arms inflicted as she sought to shield the baby from the attacks, news reports said. The police were said to be questioning the baby’s father, but no charges have been filed.

The New York Times