[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 9, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H1193-H1195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE PLIGHT OF PEOPLE WITH ALBINISM IN EAST AFRICA
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1088) recognizing the plight of
people with albinism in East Africa and condemning their murder and
mutilation, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1088
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;
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 persons 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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Chu). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) and the gentlewoman from Florida
(Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of
this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.
House Resolution 1088 shines a light on the untold horrors men and
women with albinism have faced and continue to face in East Africa
where human beings with albinism are butchered and their body parts
sold for profit. These acts of brutal murder are best told through the
story of a brave Tanzanian mother, one of the few survivors of the
attacks. I had the honor of meeting a survivor of one of these attacks,
a young woman from Tanzania named Mariamu Stanford, who epitomizes the
essence of bravery.
These horrific acts, like the crime committed against Mariamu, are
perpetrated by shamans who believe that the body parts of people with
albinism have magical powers and can be mixed in potions to bring the
buyer good luck. Rural villages have strong incentive to harvest the
limbs of their neighbors with albinism because a single limb can sell
for as much as $2,000, a king's ransom in Tanzania's countryside.
Mariamu, who has albinism, is one of the few survivors of these
attacks. Her story is one of fear, horror, and unbelievable courage.
She told me her story through an interpreter the last day of the first
session of this Congress in December.
One night in October of 2008, when Mariamu was sleep with her toddler
son, a group of machete-wielding men from her own village broke into
her home and attacked her. They cut off both of her arms while she
struggled, screamed and shielded her 2-year-old from the blows. It was
6 long hours after the attack before Mariamu, who was 5 months
pregnant, was able to receive any medical treatment. In the end, she
lost her unborn baby, but she survived; and she is now relaying her
story in the hopes that these brutal crimes against people with
albinism will come to an end.
Mariamu came to the United States for a visit thanks to the
generosity of many, including some of my constituents from northern
Virginia with albinism and some who are parents of children with
albinism, several of whom are here today in the gallery. While she
[[Page H1194]]
was here for nearly 2 weeks in December, Mariamu was fitted with
prosthetic arms donated by the Orthotic Prosthetic Center in Fairfax
County, Virginia; and she underwent intensive physical therapy.
She is a rare survivor of a horrific and inhumane crime that is of
growing concern in East Africa. More than 54 people with albinism have
been butchered in the region, most of them women and children. In
November of 2008, a 6-year-old girl was shot dead in Burundi's eastern
province of Ruyigi, close to the border of Tanzania. Her attackers
removed her head and limbs, leaving only her dismembered torso. In
January of 2009, three men armed with machetes killed an 8-year-old boy
in Burundi and smuggled his limbs into Tanzania. Every one of these
stories borders on the unbelievable and, quite frankly, must turn every
stomach of those of us who have to hear them.
Not only do people with albinism face violence in parts of the world,
but they are also at high risk for medical complications such as skin
cancer and poor vision due to the lower melanin levels in their skin.
In East Africa's harsh sun, this is a lethal combination, but
oftentimes people with albinism have no choice but to expose themselves
to the sun with little protection as they must be outside to work, go
to school, and attend everyday business.
Unfortunately, the medical issues that people with albinism face are
the least of their worries. The threat of brutal violence looms over
them at all times. Tanzania Prime Minister Mizengo Peter Pinda has
condemned, correctly, this violent crime against people with albinism,
but judicial and enforcement barriers remain.
My meeting with Mariamu and local families concerned about her
plight, and albinism in general, has moved me to take action. I am
contacting President Obama and the State Department to urge them to
place diplomatic pressure on Tanzania's federal and local governments
to end these crimes now, these crimes against humanity, and to provide
education to dispel the myth that body parts of those with albinism
have any special properties.
I also believe we must look at providing humanitarian and medical
assistance to people with albinism in East Africa, with a focus in
Tanzania where most of these crimes have occurred. To this end, I
introduced House Resolution 1088, a resolution recognizing the plight
of people with albinism in East Africa, condemning these murders and
mutilations, and advocating remedies to bring an end to this heinous
and misguided behavior.
Specifically, the resolution urges governments in East Africa,
particularly the governments of Tanzania and Burundi, to take immediate
action to prevent any further violence against persons with albinism
and to bring to swift justice those who have engaged in such
reprehensible practices. It also calls upon those governments, 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.
Finally, it urges the United States to work with the governments of
East Africa and international organizations and other donors to
eliminate violence against people with albinism.
I urge my colleagues to join Mariamu Stanford and me in bringing
international attention to this horrific abuse of human beings and to
bring those who have perpetrated that violence to justice by voting
``yes'' on this measure.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in support of House Resolution 1088.
In 2008, an undercover reporter for the BBC's Swahili Service broke
the horrific story of the occult-based killings of albinos in parts of
eastern Burundi and northwest Tanzania. Since that time, it has been
revealed that albinos have been killed and mutilated by so-called
``hunters'' who sell their victims' body parts to unscrupulous
traditional healers. The hunt is driven by the absurd belief that
albinos possess mystical powers and that their body parts can be used
as talismans to bring wealth and good luck. The market itself is driven
by greed. It has been reported that a complete set of body parts can
fetch up to $75,000 on the black market.
To be clear, the hunting and mutilation of albinos in East Africa is
by no means a common practice. The number of attacks is relatively few
in terms of the broader population.
The hunting and mutilation of people simply because they look
different is profoundly disturbing and requires us to condemn it. This
resolution calls upon the governments in East Africa, particularly in
Burundi and Tanzania, to take effective action to end these senseless
attacks which constitute gross human rights violations. It also calls
upon those governments, with support from international organizations
and other donors, to take effective action to educate the general
population with a view toward eliminating discrimination and abuse.
I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) for introducing
this measure, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.
With that, Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I want to thank my friend and colleague
from Florida for her cooperation and support and leadership on this
issue.
I have to say, just on a personal note, there are many issues I
thought I would face when I came here to the United States House of
Representatives; this was not one of them. It is an incredible tale,
but it is something that we can do something about by bringing pressure
to bear on the governments in East Africa. I thank my friend from
Florida in helping to make that happen today.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong
support of H. Res. 1088, ``Recognizing the plight of people with
albinism in East Africa and condemning their murder and mutilation.''
Let me begin by thanking my colleague Representative Gerry Connolly
for introducing this resolution, as it is important that we recognize
the plight of albinos in East Africa.
In recent years, the belief that albino body parts, particularly
limbs, have magical powers has driven thousands of Africa's albinos
into hiding. According to a report released in November of last year by
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC), the killings of albino people in Burundi and Tanzania, based on
occult practices, have triggered a crisis involving almost the entire
albino population of the two countries.
The stories of these victims are heart wrenching. I recall an article
in the New York Times in 2008 that vividly describes the horror and
fear that many Albinos live with on a daily basis.
``In May 2008, Vumilia Makoye, 17, was eating dinner with her family
in their hut in western Tanzania when two men showed up with long
knives, ``Vumilia was like many other Africans with albinism. She had
dropped out of school because of severe near-sightedness, a common
problem for albinos, whose eyes develop abnormally and who often have
to hold things like books or cell phones two inches away to see them.
She could not find a job because no one would hire her. She sold
peanuts in the market, making $2 a week while her delicate skin was
seared by the sun. When Vumilia's mother, Jeme, saw the men with
knives, she tried to barricade the door of their hut. But the men
overpowered her and burst in. ``They cut my daughter quickly,'' she
said, making hacking motions with her hands. The men sawed off
Vumilia's legs above the knee and ran away with the stumps. Vumilia
died. Yusuph Malogo, who lives nearby, fears he may be next. He is also
an albino and works by himself on a rice farm. He now carries a loud,
silver whistle to blow for help. ``I'm on the run,'' he said.''
According to the Red Cross, thousands more albinos across a huge
swathe of countryside, are unable to move freely to trade, study or
cultivate fields for fear of albino hunters. These albinos fear losing
their lives and limbs to unscrupulous dealers who can make up to
$75,000 selling a complete dismembered set.
In his New Year's address to the nation, President Jakaya Kikwete of
Tanzania said the nation that the government would step up efforts to
stamp out the albino killings. I commend the government of Tanzania for
acknowledging the danger posed to albinos in their country, but I hope
that Tanzania and Burundi will do more to educate their nations about
albinos. The Albino Association of Tanzania says that although just
4,000 albinos are officially registered in the country, they believe
[[Page H1195]]
the actual number could be as high as 173,000. A census is now under
way to try to verify the figures.
In addition, in 2008, President Kikwete nominated Al-Shymaa Kway-Geer
to represent the albino community at the national level. Ms. Kway-Greer
is the first Minister of Parliament with albinism.
Yet, despite these improvements, people with albinism still live in
fear. As Samuel Mluge, a Tanzania albino remarked to the reporter, ``I
feel like I am being hunted.'' No one should live in this state of
fear. We must vocally denounce such killings, and do everything we can
to prevent them from occurring in the future. I ask that my colleagues
support this resolution. I also ask my colleagues for their continued
support albinos in East Africa.
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1088, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas
and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________