Despite the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets, people with disabilities continue to experience marginalisation, and they have limited opportunities in society. In Tanzania, Children With Albinism (CWA) do not enjoy full citizenship rights because they are constantly subjected to stigmatisation, discrimination and persecution within their communities. This has forced the government of Tanzania to establish temporary holding shelters to protect these children. While the government appears sensitive to the challenges children with albinism face, the idea of temporary holding shelters blurs the lines of what it means to cultivate social inclusion.  A rights-based conceptual framework for the social inclusion of children helped to identify challenges faced by children with albinism in Tanzania, as well as to advance a new understanding of the voices and knowledge emerging from the Global South. An exploratory research design together with qualitative and abductive approaches were employed, and qualitative content analysis was used in analysing the empirical findings before coding the textual material. Thereafter, an expanded rights based conceptual framework for the social inclusion of children was developed. In the expanded framework, child specific factors namely family, community, social acceptance and social protection were added.

Albinism is an inherited condition affecting at least 1 in 4000 people in Africa. It is thought to be more common among black Africans although it affects the entire human populations. In most African societies, albinism is regarded to be a disability and the social attitudes against albinos are characterised by lack of understanding, fear, and also of prejudice based on the appearance of albinism. There are various myths surrounding albinos such as that they are born as a punishment, that it is a curse to give birth to albinos and that albinos are immortal and that they are in fact spirits. This causes them to be seen as outcasts in society. Albinism is an inherited, congenital condition resulting in reduced synthesis of melanin pigment in the hair, skin and eyes. It leads to a host of lifelong physical health problems, in particular visual impairment and ultraviolet induced skin damage. In Africa such problems are exacerbated by exposure to harsh sunlight and reduced access to adequate health care, especially in rural areas. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2011. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / nf2012 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM