WHY do acid attacks happen? What is the motivation for criminals to disfigure a person’s face? How can such a dangerous substance be available in stores so easily? The crime of acid attacks is increasing across India. Each year, the lives of victims are turned upside down and the crime continues to be committed with no regard for the law – or for fellow human beings whose lives are turned upside down and gravely affected. Usually directed at the face, an acid attack causes the skin and flesh to melt and can even dissolve bones. If acid enters the eyes, it is known to destroy the organ and even cause the eyes to burst.
If an acid attack causes such horrific harm, why do hundreds of acid attacks happen each year across India? Trying to uncover the motivation behind a criminal’s intention to harm or destroy a person’s life through an acid attack is going down a dark hole indeed. But according to legal testimonies and confessions, criminals make the decision to destroy a person’s life through an acid attack for several reasons: to make a woman “undesirable”, to “punish” a woman for rejecting a relationship, to respond to her “no” to sexual advances and a plethora of other reasons including in-law abuse. Statistically, most victims of acid attacks are females and most perpetrators of the crime are male. This brings the gender-based violence element into this crime, which is on the rise across India.
Laws or law enforcement is one angle to the discussion on reducing and eliminating the crime of acid attacks. But often, what is quite literally left in the dark is the victim. The initial challenge is immediate medical attention. This is often a massive challenge because time is of the essence. Medical professionals estimate that the first 10 minutes after an acid attack are crucial to helping the victim. But in most cases, the victim is unable to seek help because of searing pain and being unable to see, hear or speak due to the acid burning the flesh off her face. While some victims of acid attacks are permanently disfigured and lose their senses of sight, hearing, smell or taste, others die from severe burns that penetrate their skin, flesh and bones.
The victims who do survive these horrific attacks face immense uphill physical and mental challenges. The first is medical treatment and physical recovery. But for many acid attack patients across India, this treatment is too expensive. So these girls and women lock themselves up inside their homes and depend on home remedies to help them recover. But without medical treatment and care, the wounds can worsen, cause infections and can turn fatal. This is where NGOs come in.
It can often be seen that victims of acid attacks recover and spend the rest of their lives helping other women who are victims of the same crime. Shaheen Malik is one such woman. Let’s hear from Shaheen in her own words:
“I was waiting outside my office one day when suddenly a man walked up behind me. Before I knew what was happening, he threw acid on my face. The moment the acid touched my skin, I went into shock. The acid seeped into my eyes. I lost sight in one eye and could not see from the other.”
Shaheen could not afford the medical care needed to treat her acid burns. In desperation, she would ask people for financial help but would get turned down. But she soldiered on and once she got back on her feet, she realized that there are many, many women who need help – just as she did. So she founded an organization in 2021 called Brave Souls in New Delhi which has helped more than 300 women who are survivors of acid attacks. For the past three years, the organization has arranged 200 reconstructive surgeries, compensation for 150+ victims and has pursued 50+ legal cases without a single acquittal of the criminals.
Brave Souls is taking care of the medical needs for more than 200 women who are dependent on the organization for their survival. The medical care that acid attack victims need is not a one-time requirement. Because of the severity of the chemical attack, most victims need multiple surgeries and lifelong medical treatment and medication. Shaheen Malik’s NGO also helps the women find housing and secure education and employment while being by their side and giving them psychological support throughout their journey to rebuild their lives. Brave Souls consists of social activists, lawyers, researchers and individuals who have come together to prevent acid attacks and help victims of the crime.
In addition to the gargantuan challenge of recovering and getting used to a new life where victims are not always accepted or included in mainstream society, girls and women have to grapple with the injustice that has happened to them. In many cases, perpetrators of these acid attacks are imprisoned for a certain period of time but are eventually released while victims begin the long struggle to adjust to a new life that has suddenly robbed them of their rights, peace, opportunities and future.
Acid attacks: a symptom of gender based violence
Acid attacks, much like sexual assault, are symptoms of a much larger problem: the hatred of girls and women. The attitude “because I can” rings true in the case of acid attacks and other gender-based crimes. The perpetrators of these crimes do so knowing that most women are not as physically strong as men and that there is a historical systemic and cultural bias against females.
“Acid attacks are clearly an expression of control over women’s and girls’ bodies.”
The battle to challenge this erroneous form of thinking and achieve equality will be long but it is crucial to continue fighting crimes against women while always remembering to care for the victims of these crimes. This is a two-fold mission that Shaheen Malik’s organization Brave Souls does and with your support, can continue for the 200 women who depend on them for their survival. To learn more about acid attacks and to support Brave Souls:
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Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.
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