Albinism Society fights stigma, dehumanisation
Baboki Kayawe | Thursday July 20, 2017 15:53
The petition, read by the National Assembly Deputy Speaker, Kagiso Molatlhegi and signed by 54 members of the Society, asks that Botswana incorporates the Convention into the Botswana Disability Policy in order to end the violation of the rights of people living with albinism.
The Society handed the petition to Molatlhegi on the occasion of the International Albinism Awareness Day, which took place last month and where members decried “all forms of discrimination, dehumanisation and stigmatisation associated with the condition.
“It should be noted that the majority of people with albinism are both desperately poor and isolated from mainstream community activities,” reads the petition. It further says many people with albinism are stigmatised, which often causes them to be more withdrawn from social activities in order to avoid being noticed.
“Consequently, many of our members become emotionally unstable, developing less assertive personalities. They even begin to consider the society as being generally unkind and rejecting,” the petition reads. The Society says people with albinism have always suffered twice in Botswana in the sense that they have a disability that is not recognised as a disability.
“Having legislation specific to people with disabilities in place will be a good starting point to address the several challenges they are facing such as skewed medical help, bullying at school as well as social cultural myths and beliefs,” the Society’s petition reads.
Against this backdrop, the Society wants government to align health, education and employment policies and programmes with the UN Convention so as to protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities.