Persons living with albinism in Nigeria have always had to contend with some health-related challenges due to the genetic condition they have. But, their toughest challenge is often not the health issues they have to deal with but the different forms of social discrimination and stigmatisation from a section of the population.
“This discrimination made me feel very bad. They usually don’t mock me to my face but at my back. They used to say I could not see,” Tampi said. “I always move to the front and sit on the floor to write but when the time is up, I have to stop even when I have not finished. The report noted that while relatively few cases of attacks against persons with albinism have been reported, a study in 2014 disclosed that 41 per cent of persons with albinism had mental health issues.
“I couldn’t tell anyone how I was feeling so the teachers at a point had to call my elder sister to come to the office and informed her that they want to see my parents, but I noticed that my dad knew everything about it, so he was the one that came down to the school and told them to be writing boldly on the board. I then changed my sitting position to the front.”She said, “I remember that every term. I came first in class because everything was easier for me. After all, I could see clearly.
“Although I had issues borrowing notes from some people as I cannot really write fast, and even if I’m sitting in front of the board I’m not able to write fast, and sometimes I won’t even see the board even at the front because the writing will be too tiny so I have to borrow note. Mary said was not psychologically affected by stigma because of the kind of family members and close network she had.PUNCH HealthWise,
She said this ranges from being socially sequestered to having high levels of low self-esteem, to coming down with depression due to the inherent feeling of inadequacy. “So most times, they have to work extra hard to impress people. Many persons will albinism even sometimes feel the responsibility to start activism and yet some of them don’t even believe in the activism but get into it to show that they are confident in their skin.
“Persons with albinism don’t have melanin and that does not make them less human. When you see them, don’t focus conversations around their skin except they bring it up themselves because it is pretty much mentally draining for them to keep answering the same questions over and over again.“Love them for who they are and get to know them on a deeper level than just their skin condition and if you cannot deal with how they look, do not go near them.
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)
Ignorance engenders moral blindness.
You skipped the part of - hunted for all the wrong reasons.
Not only in Nigeria, it happens in other countries too
I've never discriminated against anybody with albinism. But the truth is most of them are mocked. Even in some parts of the SW, there is a song used to mock albinos.
This woman is a disgrace where is it in Nigeria that albinos are discriminated? This is ungratefulness I which you will be resurface in Tanzania or most southern Africa where Albinos are hunted like rats.
What part of Nigeria?
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