A surge of recent attacks against albinos throughout several East African countries has sparked international concern, with at least 15 albinos having been kidnapped, wounded or killed in the past six months, according to the United Nations.

“These attacks are often stunningly vicious, with children in particular being targeted,” U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said last month. “As a result, many people with albinism are living in abject fear. Some no longer dare to go outside, and children with albinism have stopped attending school because of the recent spate of assaults, murders and kidnappings.”

Superstitions and myths about people with albinism have fueled the violence — and the market: Body parts used in rituals can fetch a high price.

“A complete set of albino body parts — including all four limbs, genitals, ears, tongue and nose” can command as much as $75,000, a 2009 Red Cross report found.