Ikponwosa Ero

Ikponwosa Ero (born 1980 or 1981) is a Nigerian lawyer and advocate for people with albinism. Ero started working for an albinism non-governmental organization in 2008 and is the inaugural United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism since 2015. Outside of the United Nations, Ero filed a human rights complaint against the Canadian restaurant Earls in December 2012. A few months later, Ero's complaint led to the name change of the restaurant's beer after Ero said it was a form of discrimination against people with albinism.

Ikponwosa Ero
Ero in 2017
Born1980 or 1981
Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
OccupationLawyer
EmployerUnited Nations
Known forUN advocate for people with albinism

Early life

In 1981, Ero was born in Nigeria with albinism and faced discrimination during her childhood.[1]

Career

After fleeing to Canada with her family in her teens, Ero went to work in law.[2] In 2008, Ero began working for a Non-governmental organization for people with albinism as a law advocate.[3] While with the company, Ero submitted a complaint to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal in December 2012 against the restaurant Earls. Ero said the restaurant's beer name Albino Rhino was a form of discrimination against albinism, which led the restaurant to remove albino from the beer's name in February 2013.[4][5]

An advocate for people with albinism

Ero began her United Nations career in 2015 when she became the inaugural Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism.[6] The following year, Ero wrote a follow-up report on the murders of people with albinism in Malawi while she was in the country for research.[7] Later that year, Ero visited Mozambique in 2016 to study the persecution of people with albinism for a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in early 2017.[8]

In 2017, Ero advised the Ministry of Health in Fiji to make sunscreen accessible for Fijians with albinism.[9] She left for Kenya in 2018 to assess how the country interacted towards Kenyans with albinism for a March 2019 report.[10]

References
  1. Snaddon, Bill (28 August 2017). "Waiting to disappear: The danger of being too pale". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  2. Migiro, Katy (17 November 2016). "After abuse as a girl, UN albinism expert aims to end ritual murders". Reuters. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  3. "New Independent Expert on Albinism Takes Up Post". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  4. Rush, Curtis (19 December 2012). "Albino Rhino beer sparks human rights complaint in B.C.s". Toronto Star. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  5. Barton, Adriana (19 February 2013). "The Albino Rhino is no more: Earls rebrands beer after human-rights complaint". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  6. "Ms. Ikponwosa Ero". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  7. "In Malawi, people with albinism facing risk of 'systemic extinction,' UN envoy says". CBC. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  8. "Mozambique: UN expert warns masterminds of attacks against persons with albinism still at large". UN News. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  9. Suva, Wati Talebula (8 December 2017). "Sunscreen Should Be on Essential Medicines List, Ero Recommends". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  10. "Kenya makes progress in supporting people with albinism, but 'much remains to be done' says UN expert". UN News. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
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