Hunted for their body parts and raped by men with HIV who believe it will cure their disease: How Cameroon's brave albino women and children face brutality at the hands of cruel witchdoctors Around 90% of people with albinism in sub-Saharan Africa die before age of 40 By Elena Salvoni Published: 08:03, 31 August 2024 | Updated: 08:04, 31 August 2024 e-mail View comments People with albinism in sub-Saharan Africa already face the deadly threat of the sun, described by many as their 'biggest enemy'. Their skin lacks the melanin which is crucial to protect them from its ultraviolet rays, making them highly vulnerable to cancer . More than 90 per cent of people with albinism on the continent - where roughly one out of every 5,000 people is born with the condition - die before they reach the age of 40, and the sun plays a large part in this.
But there are other 'enemies' which threaten their very survival - namely people's prejudices, superstitions and the witchdoctors and depraved merchants who hunt them for their body parts. In Cameroon, the belief that people with albinism bring luck or have magical powers has persisted for decades, and has devastating consequences. Women and girls with albinism experience ritual rape, due to the disturbingly widespread belief that sexual intercourse with a person with albinism brings luck and cures diseases, including HIV .
Men, women and children have their limbs hacked off and are murdered, while dead people are exhumed by greedy traffickers.