OHCHR | FeatureStories

Feature stories

Counting groups left behind: a stellar step for inclusion in Kenya
The 2019 census in Kenya counted people who were never counted before. OHCHR’s human rights based approach to data influenced this recognition of communities that have historically been marginalised.
27 November 2019

UN expert on albinism: "We are gaining ground"
Regional steps for rights protection and individual achievements by people with albinism themselves are celebrated on this year’s International Albinism Awareness Day.
13 June 2018

Disability rights body provides justice to albinism attack victim
A person with albinism whose arm was hacked off seeks remedy from the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities when his country, Tanzania, fails to prosecute his attackers.
22 September 2017

Hunted for their body parts
The killing of human beings and the use of their body parts in amulets and potions in “traditional medicine” and in witchcraft is a crime, says the UN expert on the rights of people with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero.
4 April 2017

New Independent Expert on Albinism Takes Up Post
Ikponwosa Ero has been appointed as the United Nations first-ever Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of Human Rights by People with Albinism. Ero, from Nigeria, was appointed by the Human Rights Council during its 29th Session.
21 August 2015

On first-ever International Day, UN celebrates people with albinism and urges awareness of challenges they face
The first-ever day for International Albinism Awareness is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of people with albinism and join the struggle against the difficulties they face.
15 June 2015

‘Not ghosts but human beings:’ UN rights office launches website on Albinism
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched a website dedicated to the issue of albinism aimed at debunking the myths of the rare condition.
6 May 2015

White Ebony
The exhibition “Blanc Ebène – White Ebony” at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, raises awareness of the human rights of persons living with albinism through 30 images by photographer Patricia Willocq.
23 March 2015

Surge in ‘stunningly vicious' attacks on albino children in East Africa, UN rights chief warns
The United Nations human rights chief expressed revulsion at a recent spike in gruesome attacks against people with albinism in several East African countries.
10 March 2015

Protect the rights of people with albinism
Tanzania has witnessed a spate of brutal attacks and killings of people with albinism, linked to myths and witchcraft. To protect this vulnerable group, the East African nation has rounded up children with the condition and placed them in holding centres throughout the country.
4 December 2014

Rights advisory committee starts study on the rights of persons with albinism
Persons with albinism face multiple forms of discrimination worldwide. The Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council starts a study on priority areas of protection of the rights of persons with albinism.
5 March 2014

In this section

Introduction

Mandate

Individual Complaints

Issues in Focus

COVID-19 and Harmful Practices

Regional Action Plan on albinism

Experts Workshop on Witchcraft and Human Rights