Under The Same Sun is a Canadian, Christian charity founded in 2008 by the current CEO, Peter Ash.
UTSS is investing significantly within Tanzania to improve the lives of PWAs by establishing a well staffed office and resource centre.
Our primary focus is on advocacy and education as well as assisting PWA to access external information, education bursaries, health care and other community supports available to assist.
UTSS Founder and CEO Peter Ash strongly condemned the state security agencies saying the albino body parts are very expressive that a local poor individual cannot afford.
Ash was speaking at a press conference here, also pointing out that the police have been on a frontline arresting and interrogating albino murderers but they don’t go for big fish –the richest and most powerful people behind the illegal trade.“They are scared to put them behind bars,” he said. “It’s really startling.”
“It’s shocking to note that witchdoctors and killers are reportedly being arrested by the police, revealing their customers and still police fail to take action,” he lamented at a news conference.
“This is scaring and if the community fails to reorganise and take action, the war on albino killings will never come to an end.”
The officer questioned the decision by the Home Affairs Minister Mathias Chikawe to ban divining practices as part to confront albino killings saying the decision would have been better if witchdoctors were also halted.
This unimaginable evil is driven by the belief (in some areas of the country) that the body parts of PWA possess magical powers capable of bringing riches if used in potions produced by local witchdoctors for Albinism Related Attacks in Tanzania.
Leaders in the albinism community believe that many of the attacks and killings remain undocumented and thus the numbers are likely much higher than our records show.
While Tanzanian police first started documenting them in 2006, it is widely known that these witchcraft related assaults against PWA have been going on since time beyond memory. Reports also indicate that albino body parts are being exported outside of Tanzania.
In one instance, a Tanzanian trader was caught traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo with the head of an infant with albinism in his possession. He told police that a businessman there was going to pay him for the head according to its weigh.
In 2009, he said Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda also issued the same directive but a year later when the country was conducting the general election the directive was scrapped.
“We’re also concerned about the decision issued by the home affairs’ minister considering that the previous directive was issued by the premier and subsequently put on ice.
“We are concerned because this year, Tanzania is going to conduct a general election for presidential, members of the parliament and councilors.”
Speaking on the recently ambush of a four-year old Pendo Emmanuel at Ndami village in Kwimba District, he outlined concerns to politicians especially Kwimba MP for not even visiting the family of a missing child to deliver a condolence message.
He said despite the fact that the government had formed three task forces since 2009; there has been a long-silent from the home affairs ministry to inform the public about the findings of the three task forces.
But the Police Spokesperson, Advera Bulimba, said it was unfounded to say that the security organs have turned a blind eye on people who buy parts of people with albinism or any one involved in such kind of business.
“People should not talk for the sake of talking. As the Police, we have been arresting and dragging to court the suspects involved either killing PWAs or buying the body parts or any involvement in such kind of acts.
We are continuing with the hunt and our intention not only arresting and dragging but preventing such acts from happening and ensuring enough security to all,” said the Spokesperson in a telephone interview yesterday.
According to her, if the UTSS has information related to such kind of acts they should submit it to police for further action.
She called upon anybody with information about criminals of any kind to inform the police as well.
The idea is to ensure enough security to the citizenry.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
No comments :
Post a Comment