There’s been very little visibility not only in the narrative but also in respect to the practical issues that need to be addressed for people who have albinism, says Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
He said this while officiating at an International Albinism Awareness Day event in Tamavua, Suva yesterday.
The A-G said the United Nations General Assembly first passed a resolution to create awareness on albinism in 2014.
“As we all know, albinism has been with us for centuries and the fact that it took only 2014 to recognise that, actually tells you how albinism has always been pushed to the periphery,” he said.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said for the first time in any Fijian Constitution, the Government included a specific provision regarding the rights of persons with disabilities.
“We have never had that in any of the constitutions so this is why it puts an additional responsibility on the State to ensure that any infrastructure that we roll out, policies and budget allocations, we do make adjustments and we cater for those people with disabilities.
“So we need to be able to ensure that government resources are directed to enable a non-discriminatory provision and landscape.
“We need those people who do have albinism to be able to become ambassadors, to be able to talk to other people and be able to tell them look just because they look different from us, it does not mean that we should discriminate against them.”
He said societies should broaden their minds because when inclusivity was in its truest form, a strong community and nation was created.
