International Albinism Awareness Day

Albinism is a genetic condition inherited from both parents that occurs worldwide, regardless of ethnicity or gender. The common lack of melanin pigment in the hair, skin and eyes of people with albinism causes vulnerability to sun exposure, which can lead to skin cancer and severe visual impairment. As many as 1 in 5,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa and 1 in 20,000 people in Europe and North America have albinism. In some countries people with albinism suffer discrimination, poverty, stigma, violence and even killings. In some countries, women who give birth to children with albinism are repudiated by their husbands, and their children abandoned or the victims of infanticide. The movie industry has seldom portrayed people with albinism accurately, preferring to depict them as villains, demons or freaks of nature. Violence against people with albinism is largely met by social silence and indifference, and is seldom followed by investigations or the prosecution of perpetrators.

On June 13th , The celebration of the International Albinism Awareness Day seeks to amplify the voices and visibility of persons with albinism in all areas of life.

The worst expression of discrimination against persons with albinism is their dehumanization, which lays the foundation for horrifying physical attacks against them. Because some believe that they are magical beings or ghosts, they mutilate or even kill them, so their body parts can be used for witchcraft rituals. Meet the Champions of the albinism cause , who are sharing their stories in an effort to dispel these dangerous myths. If you are a person living with albinism, you can share your own story .

On December 18, 2014, the United Nations’ General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing June 13th as International Albinism Awareness Day . This historic resolution confirmed the global focus on albinism advocacy . The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) joins with the worldwide albinism community in encouraging everyone to celebrate and promote albinism awareness on June 13th each year. The late Ambassador of the Mission of Somalia to the U.N., Geneva, Yusuf Mohamed Ismail Bari-Bari, led the effort to pass the resolution in cooperation with Under the Same Sun, an organization that promotes and protects the rights of people with albinism, particularly in Africa. Shortly thereafter, NOAH participated in a U.N. “side event” to celebrate the adoption of the resolution. The late Excellency Bari-Bari made opening and closing remarks at the event, which included sharing a story with Pope Francis in which he informed the Pontiff of the atrocities committ...