Men have been using acid as a weapon against thousands of women and children to destroy their lives. They pour them with acid especially in their faces resulting in burning them. They mostly use Sulphuric and nitrite acids and sometimes Hydrochloric acid is also used. Men are also attacked, but very few of them are victims.
According to Kundan Srivastava, Indian Human Rights Activist, Author and Social Entrepreneur “Acid throwing also known as acid attack or vitriol age is a form of violent assault defined as the act of throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto the body of another with the intention to disfigure, maim, torture, or kill”
Victims of acid attack are being attacked for different reasons which vary from country to country. It has been witnessed that the most reasons behind the attacks are the rejection of love and marriage proposal, family and marriage disputes, land; property disputes, money related issues, revenge, the weak rule of law, political corruption and cultural inequalities between genders. Some men perform such an evil act because they are intimidated by women who are successful and have achieved more than them. They also believe that they are more superior to women so women must abide by them.
Acid attacks rarely kill the victims. Nitric or sulphuric acid has a shocking impact on the human body. Most often, survivors are permanently blinded and lose the use of their hands, which makes their everyday chores difficult if not impossible. The acids damage the skin tissue, sometimes dissolves the bones, and causes permanent scarring of the face and body. Without assistance, many survivors are unable to find employment, and when they get assistance, adapting to the habits of their previous life will take years. Survivors experience narrow strength and must deal with various discomforts such as skin tightness and severe itching.
The psychological scars may be invisible, but they are traumatic. The isolation many survivors face as they are excluded from their communities, causes additional difficulty. The treatment is expensive, and the unprivileged people who cannot afford it are disadvantaged.
An in-depth research by the ASTI (Acid Survivor Trust International and its partners) states that acid attacks are a worldwide phenomenon that are not limited to a particular race, religion or geographical location. They occur in many countries in the South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the West Indies and the Middle East. Statistics proves that from 1999-2016(June) the number of acid attacks is 3325 in total, and the number of victims who survived is 3688 in total.
Activists have edged manufacturers and the government to regulate and stop the acid sales so to reduce the attacks and a little has been done. Now, campaigns in relations to stop the attacks and reduce the sales have emerged.
Laxmi, a victim of acid attack and a standard-bearer for Stop Acid Attacks (SAA) campaign, gathered 27 000 signatures for a request to reduce acid sales and took her request to the Indian Supreme Court. The State Department said, “Laxmi’s request led the Supreme Court to order the Indian central and state governments to regulate immediately the sale of acid, and the Parliament to make prosecutions of acid attacks easier to pursue.”
SAA (Stop Acid Attacks) is a campaign against acid violence. It works as a bridge between survivors and the society, as most of the victims of this brutal crime have isolated themselves after losing their faces. Due to ignorance of the government and the civil society, most survivors are hopeless and live like outcasts.
Manufacturers say that acids are legitimately purchased for industrial purposes, tanning units and for floor and toilets cleaning. So if they are regulated and increased then they will lose profit as many people will not buy and some employees will not earn enough money to provide for their families.
Sources:
1. https://www.bitgiving.com/project/index/id/BIT015
2. http://www.kundansrivastava.com/weak-laws-against-acid-attacks/
3. http://www.stopacidattacks.org/2014/03/stop-acid-attacks-campaigner-laxmi-to.html
4. http://www.acidviolence.org/index.php/acid-violence/
5. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/acid-attacks-women-india_n_4220712.html
6. http://www.acidsurvivors.org/Statistics
7. Photo source: http://news.statetimes.in/students-stage-protest-srinagar-acid-attack/
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