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Albinism Murder Trial begins in Tanzania
Related to country: Tanzania

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Highly anticipated trial of twelve people accused of murdering persons with albinism and using their body parts for witchcraft purpose is set to begin in western Tanzanian.
The recent killings of people who have skin defect has reached forty in the past eighteen months.

Witchdoctors from many parts of western Tanzania are selling Albino body parts for huge sums of money, claiming to make their client wealthy and have good fortune in business.

Many believe prominent Tanzanian businessmen are amongst the clients of the witchdoctors. Some businessmen were arrested accused of killing Albinos however, no one has faced trial as yet.

Human rights groups in Tanzania had earlier expressed their disappointment and concerns regarding the delay in bring the accused to trial in towns of Shinyanga and Kahama in western Tanzania.

“The justice system is slow and full of corruption,” said Will Ross, BBC’s East African correspondent.

Albinism results from inheritance of recessive alleles. The condition is known to affect mammals (including humans), fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. While the most common term for an organism affected by albinism is “albino” (noun and adjective), the word is sometimes used in derogatory ways towards people. A person with congenital albinism has white hair and milky skin; eyes are usually pink.

Adults and children with albinism have been attacked frequently inside their homes. Brutally murdered and their limbs severed. Any body part of person with albinism can fetch thousands of dollars.

Miners, businessmen and fishermen with black magic beliefs have been accused to increase demand for body parts in western Tanzania, location famous for its diamond mines in the world.

August 11, 2009 | 4:38 PM Comments  0 comments



Mental health Roundtable adamant on changing the current system
Related to country: Canada

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Mental health workers and practitioners working with South Asian community are urging CASSA to look into the impact of current mental health system on various South Asian communities in Greater Toronto Area.

Use your authority to bring about changes in way services is provided in diverse South Asian communities – Cassa told.

The pressing recommendations to the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) came about at the recent South Asians & Mental Health Roundtable, organized by the council. Suggestions from mental health workers at the roundtable conference echo that of a recent study on the South Asian Community in Metropolitan Toronto.

The study, The Need for Community Services recommended that community services and funding from the government tailor services according to each community’s needs.

The current system funds mainstream mental health agencies, such as Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) to provide services to ethnospecific communities. However, participants in the roundtable conference strongly believe that ethnospecific agencies are better equipped to ease difficulties navigating the mental health system. And can put local health dollars where they are most needed. Making it more cost efficient, eliminating barriers such as language, transportation and stigmatization. They claim their structured service models are less stigmatizing and less psychologically scarring.

CASSA, a social justice umbrella organization working with Ontario’s diverse South Asian communities, wanted to hear directly from agencies, mental health frontline workers and practitioners on challenges, barriers and opportunities for people with mental health challenges in the community.

Neethan Shan, Executive Director of Cassa commented on the purpose of the roundtable conference.
“Cassa wants to identify 2-3 things that it can focus on in the year or two with respect to mental health issues in South Asian community,” Shan said. “Now that we have heard from people what they want CASSA to focus on, next time we meet with the LHIN, we will give them this information.”

August 11, 2009 | 4:24 PM Comments  0 comments





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