H. Res. 1088 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

March 10, 2010. 

Whereas, in parts of East Africa, most notably Tanzania, 

shamans promote the reprehensible belief that people 

with albinism are less than human, and that their body 

parts can be made into potions to bring wealth or luck; 

Whereas over the last 2 years, more than 50 adults and children with albinism have been murdered in East Africa by 

mercenaries who sell their body parts to shamans; 

Whereas countless other people with albinism have survived 

these attacks, but have been permanently mutilated in 

the name of profit; 

Whereas two mothers of children with albinism were attacked 

by gangs who were searching for the children in Eastern 

Tanzania in November 2008; 

Whereas a 10-year-old boy with albinism, Gasper Elikana, 

was beheaded by men who fled with his leg in October 

2008; 

Whereas a 28-year-old woman with albinism, Mariamu Stanford, was attacked while she slept, losing both of her 

arms and her unborn child in October 2008; 

Whereas a 17-year-old woman with albinism from Kenya, 

Vumilia Makoye, was killed by 2 men in her home who 

sawed off her legs in May 2008; 
2 

•HRES 1088 EH 

Whereas hundreds of children with albinism are living in fear 

for their lives in rural areas; 

Whereas people with albinism are routinely shunned by their 

communities and often excluded from East African society; 

Whereas a number of government officials in rural areas of 

East Africa have ignored or even colluded with local 

shamans in these degradations; 

Whereas people with albinism in East Africa generally are 

not provided with life-saving information about preventing skin cancer, and have no means of protecting 

themselves from excess sunlight; and 

Whereas people with albinism lack access to medical treatment for skin cancer, and the average person in East Africa with albinism dies by age 30 from skin cancer, and 

only 2 percent of people with albinism in that region live 

to age 40: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) condemns the murder and mutilation of adults 

and children with albinism for their body parts; 

(2) expresses support for people with albinism in 

East Africa who have been the victims of such attacks; 

(3) recognizes that the murder and mutilation of 

people with albinism in East Africa is a gross violation 

of human rights; 

(4) urges governments in East Africa, particularly 

the Governments of Tanzania and Burundi, to take immediate action to prevent further violence against per-
3 

•HRES 1088 EH 

sons with albinism and to bring to swift justice those 

who have engaged in such reprehensible practices; 

(5) calls upon governments in East Africa, along 

with international organizations and other donors, including the United States, to actively support the education of people with albinism about the prevention of 

skin cancer and provide appropriate levels of assistance 

toward that end; 

(6) calls upon governments in East Africa, along 

with international organizations, to educate populations 

in East Africa about the realities of albinism, with the 

purpose of eliminating discrimination and abuses against 

people with albinism; and 

(7) calls upon the United States to work with the 

governments of East Africa, and international organizations and other donors, to eliminate violence against people with albinism. 

Attest: 

Clerk.