By Prince Henderson
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has expressed concern over the rise in number of killings and abductions of people with albinism for alleged ritual purposes.
Acting National Coordinator for CCJP, Martin Chiphwanya in his statement said the development is uncalled for and not humane and must stop immediately and that people with Albinism should be treated with dignity.
“Albinos are being abducted and killed for ritual purposes. Graves have been exhumed and some people have been caught by the police with bones and other albino body parts. We as a Justice and Peace arm of the Catholic Church are not happy with the development,” said Chiphwanya.
He said CCJP believes this can only stop if a multi-faceted approach is adopted.
He emphasized that all stakeholders have to collaborate in efforts to end this problem once and for all. Police prosecutors and investigators have to be properly trained so that they conduct thorough investigations and prosecute cases with utmost thoroughness. There is also need to conduct thorough research to fully understand the menace, with a view of creating sensitization to communities so as to treat albinos with the dignity they deserve.
According to Chiphwanya, there is also need to collaborate with neighboring countries that have had similar experiences so that they share on how they managed to successfully root out the problem of albino killings. Tanzania has managed to deal with the albino problem..
He said Political leaders, Faith leaders, Traditional leaders and Civil Society have to use various fora to denounce the evil act and possibly conduct civic education to enlighten people on the dangers of practicing outdated rituals that threaten the sanctity of life.
The Malawi Police has recently along with their counterparts in Mozambique arrested two herbalists in connection with the death of a Dedza based albino boy who was abducted and killed for his bones.
The two men and the herbalists are also expected to answer murder charges in the High Court of Malawi.
Meanwhile, Father George Kaliati of St. Pius of the Catholic Parish in the Archdiocese of Blantyre recently in his homily condemned the abductions and killings of the persons with albinism describing it as a symbol of moral decay and lack of love for one another.
President Peter Mutharika has since ordered the security agents to be vigilant and arrest all those involved in the vice and bring them to book.
He said his government would send a delegation to Tanzania to learn how the country managed to deal with the problem.