Malawi gives personal security alarms to albinos in hopes of battling persecution

The cultural problem of hunted albinos in Malawi just got a new level of attention from the government with the provision of personal mobile security alarms to the persecuted.

The mobile device is activated when its wearer pulls a safety pin in the face of imminent danger. The sound from the alarm can be heard a hundred metres from where it is made.

CGTN Africa reports that Malawi’s government hopes the new initiative can drastically confront the spate of the killings of albinos.

Among some peoples of Africa, especially in the central, eastern and southern parts of the continent, albinos are perceived to possess magical powers.

Body parts of albinos are sought by killers who are directed by spiritualists to either ingest these parts or secretly keep them. If one does this, the belief is that any sort of material or spiritual desire will be fulfilled.

For decades, various measures, including transnational efforts have proven short of solving the problem.

But Malawi’s gender and disability minister, Mary Navicha, hopes her government’s initiative will yield immediate results.

“As [the] government, we are trying to create [a] conducive environment for the persons with albinism, that’s why we are distributing security gadgets for them to be protected and for them to be safe in their communities,” Navicha is quoted as saying.