International Albinism Awareness Day is observed every year on June 13. This day is celebrated every year to create awareness among people about albinism and about the human rights of the persons with Albinism. Every year programs are organized to educate people and people living with albinism who have to face all kinds of human rights violations. Loneliness is a common condition in people with albinism. Often people are treated poorly in society and most people do not have much knowledge about albinism. People with albinism have skin and hair with no colour. A pigment called melanin, whose primary function is to protect your skin from harmful UV radiation, lack in some individuals. The non-existence of even too little of this vital melanin is known to cause this genetic condition known as albinism.

International Albinism Awareness Day 2022 Date, History & Significance

Every year on June 13, Albinism Awareness Day is observed all over the world. The purpose of which is to focus people's attention on this problem and make people aware of it. In the mid-2000s, there were reports of violent attacks and killings of victims of albinism in Tanzania. The reason for these attacks was attributed to a dangerous myth that people with albinism have magical powers. Many victims have even had their body parts attacked and mutilated.

What is Albinism?

Albinism is derived from the Latin term "albus" which means "white". It is also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis (colour blindness or achromaticity) marked by a complete or partial lack of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes due to a deficiency in the enzyme involved in the production of melanin. This is a congenital disorder as it occurs as a result of inherited recessive gene alleles and affects all vertebrates, including humans. The most commonly used term for the ones affected by albinism is "albinos". Albinism is associated with a number of visual impairments, such as photophobia, and astigmatism.

When around 70 people were killed and many were seriously injured in 2015, the Tanzania Albinism Society (TAS) and other non-governmental organizations lobbied for the protection of the rights of people with albinism, following which Albino Day was celebrated for the first time on May 2006. The day was made official when the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 18, 2014, to declare June 13 as International Albinism Awareness Day from 2015 onwards.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2022 08:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).