New guiding note for reporting on children with albinism: United Nation (UN) expert

A UN expert today welcomed the publication of a Guiding Note on Reporting on the Rights and Welfare of Children with Albinism in Africa, a critical tool developed by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) in collaboration with the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism. She issued the following statement:

“Children with albinism continue to face systemic discrimination, violence, ritual attacks, and exclusion, particularly in areas of education, healthcare, parental care and protection, social protection, and access to justice among others. We urgently need targeted action to protect and promote their human rights.

The Guiding Note on Reporting on the Rights and Welfare of Children with Albinism in Africa provides key indicators to assist African Union Member States in fulfilling their reporting obligations under the African Children’s Charter, with a specific focus on addressing the peculiar challenges faced by children with albinism. The indicators guide States on which specific areas they should report on in relation to children with albinism when submitting their State Party reports to the ACERWC.

I call on all African Union Member States to integrate these indicators into their reporting frameworks and to take concrete steps to implement the recommendations. It is only through sustained commitment and collaboration that we will be able to eliminate the barriers faced by children with albinism and uphold their rights to non-discrimination, life, survival and development, and full inclusion and participation in society.

The Guiding Note is also a critical tool for other stakeholders such as children, NHRIs, and CSOs in their alternative or complementary reports to the Committee. It also serves as an important advocacy tool for all stakeholders. This Guiding Note is a testament to the power of partnership between regional and international mechanisms on issues of Children with Albinism and beyond.

Let us seize this opportunity to transform the lives of children with albinism across Africa.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).