'Hunted like animals': The conundrums of countering crimes against albinistic persons in the era of the UDHR. (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nkrumah, Bright
• Is Part Of: International journal of law, crime and justice. Volume 55(2018)
• Page Start: 52
• Page End: 59
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: Law -- Periodicals; Criminology -- Periodicals; Justice -- Periodicals; Justice pénale -- Administration -- Périodiques; Criminologie -- Périodiques; Sociologie juridique -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 340.11
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2018.09.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-0616

Abstract

Abstract: In recent times, many Africans with albinism have been maimed, raped and killed. These atrocities and affronts to the dignity of this endangered group is a sober reminder of the challenges ahead for Africa and the international community. The fight against this persecution is amongst others dependent on how successful the right to life and dignity protected in (inter)national instruments are concretised. The adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has shown a slow but steady progress towards this concretisation. Even though the instrument has spawned a lavish structure of interlocking strands -treaties, procedures and institutions-all proclaiming to protect the rights of people, it fails to problematize unique African circumstances which confront persons with albinism today. To this end, the paper assesses some of these conundrums and makes recommendation on how to overcome them in order to forestall this crime.