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Lilongwe - The horrific murder of an albino baby in Malawi's Kasungu District recently has highlighted the country's failure to protect the vulnerable group, Amnesty International has said.
The statement followed the discovery of a skull, teeth and clothes belonging to a 23-month-old baby who was abducted on April 1 in Chiziya village.
"The murder of this innocent child is part of a deeply disturbing pattern of disappearances and killings of people with albinism in Malawi, where body parts are sold for use in witchcraft," said Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International’s deputy director for southern Africa.
The deceased, Whitney Chilumpha, was the 12th albino victim to have been killed in Malawi since December 2014.
Police officials in the Kasungu District confirmed that the father of the murdered child, as well as another man, were currently being held in connection with the "criminal act".
In addition, five people living with the condition were reported to have been abducted within the same period, although Amnesty International predicted that the figures could be higher.
In 2015, approximately 45 crimes against albino citizens were reported, with offences ranging from attempted abductions to exhumations of graves.
