People call them the "tribe of ghosts". And they're in danger because of the colour of their skin.

These people are in danger.

They are in danger from witch doctors, fishermen, miners and members of their own community – and all because they were born with white skin.

Albino Tanzanian people are thought of as ‘the invisible’ or the ‘tribe of ghosts’, and because their absence of melanin is so misunderstood, they are persecuted and hunted.

The Daily Mail reports that Albinos are often killed because miners think that their bones will help them find diamonds, fishermen believe their hair will help them catch more fish and witch doctors say that their genitalia increase sexual potency. In some instances, families have tried to sell off their own children – for thousands of dollars.

Just this week, the Tanzanian police arrested two witch doctors who had allegedly hacked a woman to death for her body parts. Munghu Lugata, 40, was killed after the attackers cut off her left leg and three of her fingers.

Last year, a seven-year-old boy lost his hands when he was attacked by people collecting body parts. He survived but children routinely do not survive these attacks.

In recent years, the Tanzanian government has had to open shelters specifically for albino children to keep them safe – and give them a chance at creating a life for themselves, without having to face discrimination and danger on a daily basis.

The size of the albino population in Tanzania is fairly significant, although difficult to gauge. Some groups say that the number is greater than 100,000 (in a population of 48 million people).

It’s tragic that these people are actively hunted and brutalised – when their only crime is the lack of pigment in their skin.