Discrimination Against Children Born with Albinism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Social, Educational, and Health Impacts

CHAPTER II. OVERWIEW OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN BORN WITH ALBINISM II.1. INTRODUCTION Children with albinism face significant discrimination and social exclusion often leading to rejection, isolation and even violence’s. Children with albinism are particularly vulnerable, they are exposed to multiple forms of discrimination and converging. they are the privileged targets of rituals murders and the related murders to the witchcraft. Albino children do not feel loved by their parents, brothers, sisters. Women who give birth to albino babies are often mocked or reject by their husbands and families. According to a 2007 in Kisangani nearly a half of parents of albino children felt humiliated at the time they gave birth. Discrimination against albino children in Democratic republic of Congo has a lot of impacts in our society, we have the health impact, education impact, social impact …

II.2. HEALTH IMPACTS Albinism primarily impacts heath through its effects on vision, skin and hair, due to reduced or absent melanin. Individuals with albinism are more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer because of decreased sun protection, the vast majority of Africans with albinism will die for skin cancer. Vision problems are common including reduced visual acuity nystagmus (involving eye movements and photophobia) 2.1.1 SKIN a. Sun sensitivity: Melanin protects skin from ultra violet radiation reduced or absent melanin in albinism makes individual highly susceptible to sunburn and skin damage b. Skin cancer risk: Increased sun exposing can lead to solar lentiginous actinic keratosis, and an elevated risk of skin cancer like squamous cell carcinoma. C. Skin aging: Sun damage can cause premature aging of the skin, including wrinkles and dryness. 2.1.2. EYES a. Vision Problems: Melanin plays a role in the development of the retina and optic pathways. b. Photophobia: Sensibility to light is a common symptom making it difficult to tolerate bright conditions. c. Eye Diseases: increased risk of glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration. 2.2. EDUCATIONAL IMPACTS Children living with albinism in the Democratic Republic of Congo often face discrimination and exclusion from their peers, causing some of them to skip school or drop out altogether and these kids suffer from discrimination and mockery. Almost children with albinism are visually impaired the majority are legally blind and very sensitive to light, they cannot see to the black board in a regular classroom. Families generally neglect the education of children with albinism; they consider it a waste of resources. In 2016 UNICEF is working with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry protection measures in approximately 5000 school across the country, this program provides grants to schools to cover fees for students from lower income households as well as school supplies and extracurricular activities. 2.3. SOCIAL IMPACTS One child in particular has managed to flee with the help of his supportive family and excluded from social activities. In 2015 they have many cases of kidnapping and killing in south-Kivu (kabare).

II.5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

II.5.1. Conclusion In conclusion children born with albinism are also human person like others but the difference is just their appearance. Our government should make an effort to be involved in the educational sectors and to accept their handicap in our society, so that in the future they will become leaders, politicians, directors of state and private companies, the future brave and independent women and men II.5.1. Recommendations ▪ The government of DRC should invest in education for people with albinism, education is the key to future employment and the associated possibility of avoiding a start life expectancy due to skin cancer. ▪ The government should investigate, collect and publish data about attacks, murders, abduction involving Congolese with albinism. ▪ The government should punish and condemner the persons who kills, kidnap, who do the ritual killing and all the violence’s do for children and all persons born with albinism. ▪ We should consider the persons born with albinism as a handicap, we should help, to stop their persecutions and respect their rights. The government should give albino persons the chance to show their different capacity intellectual and mental for a futur