Day 5

by moi on Nov 29th, 2010

Acid Attack! – sounds like a kewl name for a heavy metal song? I found some stories about this kind of women abuse that occurs in (but not only in) Bangladesh:-

A little girl may have been married off to a husband when she was ten years old, and a couple of years later her husband might have got annoyed because her parents didn’t pay him enough dowry for her. Or a pretty teenager might have rebuffed the sexual advances of an older man. Or perhaps her parents rejected the proposal of marriage from some young suitor.

And so, this angry young man, or rejected suitor, or disgruntled husband might decide he must avenge himself, and he goes out to buy a litre or so of sulphuric or nitric acid. Either type will do – both kinds of acid will melt human skin. If there is enough acid, it will melt the bones underneath the skin too. It can eat up eyes and chew off ears and even prevent hair from ever growing again.

And these angry young men, or rejected suitors, or disgruntled husbands sneak up on the unsuspecting young woman or girl whom they blame for their woes and throw acid into her face.

Then he can feel avenged, and also make sure that no one else would be likely to want to marry the lass either. She will most probably never be able to afford even basic plastic surgery, and if she can, it will be an extremely lengthy and painfull process. She would never want anyone to look at her again, she would never be likely to go out in search of a job or to work towards an education. If she does decide to lay a charge with the police, he can always threaten her with another dose of acid.

An Acid Survivors Foundation was formed in 1999. It hopes to help victims of acid attacks with medical, counseling and legal services, and also to work towards changing attitudes and values in the societies that allow this kind of crime to take place against its young girls and women. Their website is at http://www.acidsurvivors.org/about.html

This type of abuse became so widespread in Bangladesh, that the government of the country tried to a stop to it by passing a law in 1995 (The Women and Child Repression Control Act). But the law didn’t seem to improve matters at all, and by 1999 that government was looking for new ways to prevent these tragedies.

* * *

Follow the campaign:

Day 6: http://moirarichards.bookslive.co.za/blog/2010/11/30/day-6/
Shukumisa: http://www.shukumisa.org.za/
Damaria Senne’s Blog Party: http://damariasenne.blogspot.com/
Day 4: http://moirarichards.bookslive.co.za/blog/2010/11/28/day-4/