[Around
90-95% of victims of such incidents are women and most of them survive. But the
mental trauma continues to haunt them throughout their life. The survivors are
always looked down as victims. They are marginalized in the society owing to
their physical deformities and accompanying disabilities.]
By
Shruti Srivastava
New Delhi: Acid attack victims are often left to the empathy of
others, but what we must learn from these harrowing cases is their brave battle
against societal stigma.
Few days
back national capital witnessed yet another goring incident of acid being
hurled at a 30-year-old woman doctor by two motorcycle-borne assailants’
yesterday in Rajouri Garden.
The lady,
employed with Employees State Insurance (ESI) hospital, was attacked around
9.30 a.m. and rushed to AIIMS. The victim suffered 45 percent burn, on her face
and head, and is reported to be out of danger.
Ironically,
the incident has come at the time when the victim was prepping to step up into
her marital life in next four months.
Around
90-95% of victims of such incidents are women and most of them survive. But the
mental trauma continues to haunt them throughout their life. The survivors are
always looked down as victims. They are marginalized in the society owing to
their physical deformities and accompanying disabilities.
India is
among the top three countries having largest number of such incidents.
Neighboring country Bangladesh has the highest reported acid assaults in the
world.
India might
surpass Bangladesh soon due to the growing number of acid attacks as number of
such incidents in latter continue to decline.
Bangladesh
government's proactive initiative led to steady decline in number of acid
attacks in the Muslim country by 15% to 20% since 2002. As per facts complied
by the Acid Survivors Foundation in Bangladesh only 91 such incidents were
witnessed in the country during 2011. Acid Survivors Foundation is an NGO
helping survivors with medical and legal aid.
In
combating such evil from society Bangladesh government adopted stringent laws
criminalizing acid violence and requiring business users of acid to obtain
licenses.
In year 2002, ACCA (Acid
Crime Control Act) & ACA (Acid Control Act) laws were introduced by the
government. ACCA heightened the penalties and created special court procedures
for acid attack cases, while ACA or Acid Control Act helped Bangladeshi
government to keep a control, regulate, monitor the use, sale, purchase,
storage, transportation, import, and export of acid in the country.
Learning
from Bangladesh, India too must come forward to put an end to acid violence,
and for this Indian government and NGO's must address the root cause which is
primarily, availability of acid, gender inequality and discrimination, in
addition to the core reason which is - impunity of perpetrators.
Even there
is greater need of creating awareness about such incidents. Unfortunately,
often, these victims fail to get basic first-aid. In most cases, victim's and
local residents lack of knowledge to treat burns, and immediate first comes as
the first failure.
Victim must
be helped in rinsing thoroughly and completely the areas with water to
neutralize the acid. Milk, in case of availability, must be continuously poured
on their burned area until the vapors of acid start residing.
India as a
nation is busy while taking economy lessons from the west and China should also
incorporate some learnings from underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh to
curb the menace of acid attacks.
@ India TV
