Acid Attack: A long-lasting scar that fades a woman's life

Acid Attack :

Violence against women has many forms, one of which is the Acid Attack. It is a kind of violence where acid is thrown on a person's face or body, especially a woman or girl to deeply injure her so that part of her body where acid is thrown is permanently damaged. It can also be used to torture and kill a person. Acid Attack can also be termed as an Acid throw or Vitriol Attack.

Acid is a substance that can be used for industrial purposes, food preservation, storage batteries, and manufacturing of soft drinks but some types of acids are not harmful while others are too harmful that within a minute they burn your skin so severely or even dissolve the bones. Acid Attack can cause partial or complete blindness. It can lead to long-term consequences like permanent scars on the face and body, and blindness.

Acid Attack knows no gender but it has been seen that women are more prone to acid attacks. Nearly 60-70% of acid attack victims are women.

How does an acid Attack impact women's lives?

• Health issues

Acid can cause many health-related issues. As we know, beauty is such an important factor for women. Acid can lead to permanent scars on the face and body, a blindness that deeply affects a woman's integrity. Victims have to face many physical challenges which require long-term treatment. In some cases, acid attacks have resulted in paralyzation which makes them dependent on their spouse or family.

• Physiological issues

Acid attacks can have a great impact on a person. According to psychology, people who are victims of this attack show lowered self-esteem, depression, and anxiety and do not want to interact with others.

• Mental issues

Most of the acid attacks are aimed at the face, so the medical treatment for this is a long-term procedure and requires a lot of money for the treatment this will lead to mental issues when a person can't able to help herself. A person gets mentally disturbed when he/she gets such kind of trauma.

• Social issues

Women have to face more social implications. In 29% of cases, men left the woman if she had faced any acid attacks while its 3% of cases women apart from their husbands.

If any person has faced acid Attack then it is too difficult for them to get a job because people don't prefer them. It can increase the burden on their spouses or family.

Why Acid Attack?

People do acid attacks because of :

•The intention to defame, or hurt someone but do not want to kill them.
•Refusal of marriage proposals.
•Refuse to make physical relations.
•Refuse to convert religion.
•Land disputes.
•Not fulfilling the demand of dowry.

Treatments and consequences :

The acid will have an immediate effect on the skin. When acid falls on the skin, it starts burning and feels like the skin is melting so it is advised to wash that part immediately with water, it can help to minimize burns.

When a person faces an acid attack they are not in a condition that they go to hospital and burns can be treated quickly.

Some people say that applying oil on a burn can help them to reduce irritation and lighten the scars, please do not follow blindly any such remedies without consulting a doctor it can lead to more savage of the skin.

Laws on Acid attacks in India :

Until 2013, acid attacks were not considered a separate crime but after some amendments in the Indian penal code(IPC) acid attacks were put under a separate section 326A of the IPC and the culprit will get a minimum imprisonment of 10 years.

Punishment of one year to those doctors (either private or public) who refused to treat an acid attack victim.
Punishment of two years to the police if they refused to file an FIR and did not register the complaint or record any piece of evidence.

Duty of a human being towards acid attack victim :

An acid attack victim is already facing too many issues in her life so try to treat them with love and care as they have lost their beauty and their dreams, their self-confidence is low, and they have lost themselves.

Be patient when you interact with such victims even if they behave aggressively.

Laxmi Aggarwal, a victim of an acid attack in 2005 raised her voice against this by filing a petition to ban the sale of acid and it was portrayed in a Bollywood film named 'Chhapaak'.

Women have to bear the high cost of these attacks as they lose their beauty so they think they are not valuable and no one likes them so try to be gentle with them and help in every possible scenario.

Dear Women, do not feel shame if you have faced such an issue because it is not your fault, and do not refrain from others, Take a stand for yourself, and learn to fight for yourself because if you are not ready to stand for yourself nobody else is going to take it on your behalf.

A Dynamiclady ~ Anshika Rajput

contact - anshika@dynamiclady.in