Albino children in Malawi are being hunted down and killed like animals. The people believe that the bones, organs, and blood of the albinos can help in their medicine to bring them good health and wealth. On the continent of Africa, the people believe in black magic and that the lives of the 17,000 albinos is worth less than their body parts. In Tanzania the albinos are killed in the streets where they live. Their hair is used to make fishing nets that the fishermen think will bring them good luck, bones are ground up and buried to bring diamonds to the miners, and their genitals are used in treatments for sexual potency.
For the first time in Tanzania a group of men who killed a young albino boy were sentenced to death. In Shinyanga District an order came down to hang three men who slaughtered a 14-year-old albino. He had been pulled out of his house and dismembered. Tanzania has been known to have the highest population of albinos in Africa. Most families keep their children hidden in the house to keep them safe.
When a family member has died, they try to keep the burial a secret so that grave robbers don’t have the opportunity to steal the body for their parts. A grandfather is known for keeping his granddaughter’s body buried under his bed so that the albino killers can’t find her.
The president of Tanzania has banned all witch doctors from his country and has ordered all the officers to crack down on albino trade. This ban has produced the arrest of 90 people including 4 corrupt police officers. As a warning to others the chairman of the Tanzania Albino Society has requested that the accused be put to death in public. Hoping this will show that the government is serious about convicting these people.