An Tanzanian albino child in school. At least 43 albino children have been murdered since the start of the century. (Getty)
A Tanzanian albino child in school. At least 43 albino children have been murdered since the start of the century. (Getty) Getty

An albino child snatched from his home on Sunday has been found dead and mutilated in northern Tanzania.

Yohana Bahati, one, was kidnapped by men who broke into his home in northern Tanzania and slashed his mother with a machete before taking him.

His body was found with his arms and legs hacked off in a forest near his home. Two people have been arrested in connection with the killing, Tanzanian police said.

The boy's mother is currently being treated in hospital, while his father is being questioned by police, reports the Guardian.

Witch doctors use the body parts of albinos to make charms and spells, which they claim bring good luck and wealth. At least 74 albino children have been murdered in Tanzania in the last 15 years.

An albino corpse can fetch as much $75,000 according to a Red Cross report.

Josephat Torner, an activist who campaigns for the rights of albinos in Tanzania, said that as body parts have grown more valuable, parents have sold their own children to witch doctors.

"I have found many parents who have been convicted for this. They sold their children to the killers," he told Vice News.

In response to the rising number of murders, the Tanzanian government outlawed witchcraft in December, but critics have accused it of failing to enforce the legislation.

Albinism is a genetic condition caused by the complete absence of pigmentation in the skin, eyes, and hair.

It is more common in Tanzania where the figure is as high as 1 in every 1,400 compared to an estimated 1 in 20,000 globally.

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