VOA慢速英语--Women with Albinism Struggle for Acceptance

 

Stibiri Fiona of Uganda was born with the medical condition known as albinism.

Her body lacks the natural dark brown or black coloring that is in the skin of many African people. As a result, she and others with the condition have unusually light skin, hair and eyes.

In many countries, centuries-old beliefs about people with albinism create danger for those like Fiona. For while the medical cause is understood, the body parts of those with albinism are used in ceremonies that are said to bring wealth and good luck. People who want those body parts then attack individuals with the condition: cutting off their hair, fingers, arms, ears, and even murdering them.

"Someone who abuses my nature, I feel so, so, so bad and so small. I feel like even shedding tears. I feel like going even to collect my mother in the grave to ask her why she produced me in such a color."

Life is difficult for Ugandan women with albinism. One person who helps them is Nawejje Doreen Mayanja, who heads a group called Women and Children with Albinism. She works near the city of Kampala.

"When you are qualified¹, it is a bit competitive to get a job. And just because most of these women were denied the chance to go to school, they are not educated, they are not empowered. You find they are living below the poverty line."

Albinism is a genetic² condition. In addition to having little coloring in the skin, people with albinism may have problems with their eyesight and are at a higher risk for skin cancer.

Working as a primary school teacher, Fiona was married for eight years and has four children. Her husband asked her to stop working because he believed her albinism would make him rich.

When that did not happen, she says his father ordered her to leave their home. Now she lives in a one-room house with her children. She has not been able to find a teaching job.

"When I went there to apply for vacancies³, they refused. They said children will fear you. Even other teachers looked at me as maybe a curse. So, as for now, I don't work."

A 2017 United Nations report says that people with albinism face discrimination and barriers that prevent them from taking part equally in society. As a result, they are more likely to experience social exclusion⁴ and poverty.

Safia Nalule is a member of Uganda’s legislature. She represents people with disabilities. On March 7, she offered a bill in parliament on the social, economic and cultural rights of people living with albinism.

"I am bringing this bill, first of all, to ask for great awareness⁵ raising about persons with albinism. That they are not different from us. It is only a genetic disorder⁶ which actually brings about albinism."

Albinism in other African countries

The World Health Organization reports that albinism is found in 1 out of 3,000 Ugandans.

Few people with albinism are killed in the country. But a report by the Ugandan parliament says many are taken by force to Tanzania and parts of Kenya for human sacrifice.

Uganda is not the only country where people with albinism are asking for their rights. Nearby in Malawi, 300 people, most of them with albinism, demonstrated in the past week near the home of the president Peter Mutharika. The demonstrators wanted to meet with him to discuss the killing⁷ of people with albinism.

I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

shed – v. to cause to flow

grave – v. a place where human remains⁸ are buried

primary – adj. of or related to the teaching of children

qualify – v. to demonstrate one’s skill or ability for a special purpose

exclusion – n. to prevent someone from doing something or being a part of a group

awareness – n. understanding that something is happening

1 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

2 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

3 vacancies   

n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺

参考例句：

• job vacancies 职位空缺
• The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

5 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

6 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。