Rwanda follows Ghana and Ivory Coast in a bid to cut down on skin-bleaching products sold on the continent
CHANGE: Skin-bleaching products (Photo credit: Al Jazeera / video screenshot)—-
FOLLOWING IN the footsteps of Ghana and Ivory Coast, Rwanda have become the third African nation to ban skin-bleaching and lightening products from their shelves.
The move comes as the Rwandan government demanded stores remove the cancer-causing products from shelves, according to The New York Times, and in December 2018, the Rwandan police had confiscated over 5,000 banned products.
“Operations are being conducted by technical people,” said Simeon Kwizera, the public relations and communications officer for the Rwanda Standards Board. “The police is there to oversee only and make sure that all operations are being conducted in a safe way.”
In 2015, Ivory Coast became the first African nation to ban skin-lightening creams, with Ghana following suit in 2017. Still, various countries embrace skin bleaching and lightening products despite the risks.
Many of these products are known to include mercury which can cause kidney issues, skin rashes and deformities, alongside bringing about depression and anxiety.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns: “The main adverse effect of the inorganic mercury contained in skin lightening soaps and creams is kidney damage. Mercury in skin lightening products may also cause skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring, as well as a reduction in the skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections. Other effects include anxiety, depression or psychosis and peripheral neuropathy.
Beyond Africa, the issue of skin bleaching is prevalent across south Asia and the Caribbean, where most recently, rapper Spice pretended to bleach her skin as a part of a PR stunt to promote her song Black Hypocrisy which discussed colorism and its dominance in the Caribbean community.
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