Albino children are being killed and butchered in Tanzania for good luck.
We all have our good luck charms: a rare coin, a grandfather’s watch, a childhood toy. In Tanzania, many continue to believe in the supernatural powers of albinos to bring prosperity and success—a belief that costs many their lives.
Witch doctors use limbs harvested from albinos to attract good fortunes for fishermen, farmers, miners and politicians, and with the upcoming election good luck is in high demand. Albino children are deemed as particularly valuable because of their innocence. An arm can fetch as much as £1,000, skin up to £6,000 and a whole body can bring more than £50,000.
Channel 4 News visits a safe house in Tanzania where albino children are kept under special protection, unable to leave the compound for fear of gangs tasked with hunting them down. The stories told by the families who have lost babies and children to this gruesome tradition are not just heartbreaking, but serve as a harrowing call for the importance of education.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.
Photo Credit: Dietmar Temps / Shutterstock.com
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