Acid throwing

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Acid throwing, also called an acid attack[1] or vitriolage, is a form of violent assault[2] defined as the
premeditated act of throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto the body of another "with the
intention to disfigure, maim, torture, or kill."[3] Perpetrators of these attacks throw acid at their victims,
usually at their faces, burning them, and damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving
the bones.[4] The most common types of acid used in these attacks are sulfuric, nitric, or hydrochloric
acid.[5] The long term consequences of these attacks may include blindness, as well as
permanentscarring of the face and body,[6][7][8] along with far-reaching social, psychological, and economic
difficulties.[3]

According to researchers and activists, countries typically associated with acid assault include Bangladesh,
India, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Hong Kong, China, the United Kingdom, Kenya,South
Africa, Uganda, and Ethiopia.[5] Acid attacks have been also reported in Afghanistan,[9][10][11][12]Iran[13] and
others.

Contents

[hide]

1 Health effects

o 1.1 Medical

o 1.2 Psychological

o 1.3 Social

2 Prevention

o 2.1 Role of NGOs

o 2.2 Regulation of acid sales

3 Treatment

4 Epidemiology

o 4.1 Gender

o 4.2 South Asia

o 4.3 Middle East

o 4.4 Africa
 o 4.5 South America

o 4.6 North America and Europe

5 History

6 Legislation

o 6.1 Legislation in India

o 6.2 Legislation in Bangladesh

7 See also

8 References

9 Further reading

10 External links
Health effects[edit]

The most notable effects of an acid attack is the lifelong bodily disfigurement. According to the Acid
Survivors Foundation in Pakistan, there is a high survival rate amongst victims of acid attacks.
Consequently the victim is faced with physical challenges, which require long term surgical treatment, as
well as psychological challenges, which require in-depth intervention from psychologists and counselors at
each stage of physical recovery.[14] These far-reaching effects on their lives impact
their psychological, social and economic viability in communities.[3]

Medical[edit]
First aid: .[15]

The medical effects of acid attacks are extensive. As a majority of acid attacks are aimed at the
face,[16] several articles thoroughly reviewed the medical implications for these victims. Severity of the
damage depends on theconcentration of the acid and the period of time before the acid is thoroughly
washed off with water or neutralized with a neutralizing agent. The acid can rapidly eat away skin, the layer
of fat beneath the skin, and in some cases even the underlying bone. Eyelids and lips may be completely
destroyed, the nose and ears severely damaged.[17] Though not exhaustive, their findings included:[18]

The skull is partly destroyed/deformed and hair lost.

Ear cartilage is usually partly or totally destroyed; deafness may occur.

Eyelids may be burned off or deformed, leaving the eyes extremely dry
and prone to blindness. Acid directly in the eye also damages sight,
sometimes causing blindness in both eyes.

Nose can become shrunken and deformed; the nostrils may close off
completely due to destroyed cartilage.

The mouth becomes shrunken and narrow, and it may lose its full
range of motion. Sometimes, the lips may be partly or totally destroyed,
exposing the teeth. Eating can become difficult.
 Scars can run down from the chin to neck area, shrinking the chin and
extremely limiting range of motion in the neck.

Inhalation of acid vapors usually create respiratory problems,

exacerbated restricted airway pathways (the esophagus and nostrils) in
acid patients.

In addition to these above-mentioned medical effects, acid attack victims also face the possibility
of septicemia, renal failure, skin depigmentation, and even death.[19]

Psychological[edit]
Acid assault survivors also face many mental health issues upon recovery. One study showed that when
compared to published Western norms for psychological well-being, non-Caucasian acid attack victims
reported higher levels of anxiety, depression, and scored higher on the Derriford appearance scale, which
measurespsychological distress due to one's concern for their appearance. Additionally, the women
reported lowered self-esteem according to the Rosenberg scale and increased self-consciousness, both in
general and in the social sphere.[20]

Social[edit]
In addition to medical and psychological effects, many social implications exist for acid survivors, especially
women. For example, such attacks usually leave victimshandicapped in some way, rendering them
dependent on either their spouse or family for everyday activities, such as eating and running errands.
These dependencies are increased by the fact that many acid survivors are not able to find suitable work,
due to impaired vision and physical handicap. This negatively impacts theireconomic viability, causing
hardships on the families/spouses that care for them. As a result, divorce rates are high, with abandonment
by husbands found in 25% acid assault cases in Uganda (compared to only 3% of wives abandoning their
disfigured husbands).[18] Moreover, acid survivors who are single when attacked almost certainly
become ostracized from society, effectively ruining marriage prospects.[21]

Prevention[edit]

Research has prompted many solutions to the increasing incidence of acid attacks in the world. Many
countries look to Bangladesh, whose rates of attack have been decreasing, as a model, following their lead
in many legislative reforms.[22] However, several reports highlighted the need for an increased, legal role of
NGOs to offer rehabilitation support to acid survivors.[3] Additionally, nearly all research stressed the need
for stricter regulation of acid sales in order to combat this social issue.[3][18][22]

Role of NGOs[edit]
Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been formed in the areas with the highest occurrence
of acid attacks to combat such attacks. Bangladesh has itsAcid Survivors Foundation, which offers acid
victims legal, medical, counseling, and monetary assistance in rebuilding their lives.[22] Similar institutions
exist in Uganda, which has its own Acid Survivors Foundation,[18] and in Cambodia which utilizes the help
of Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity.[3] NGOs provide rehabilitation services for survivors while acting as
advocates for social reform, hoping to increase support and awareness for acid assault.

In Bangladesh, the Acid Survivors Foundation, Nairpokkho, Action Aid, and the Bangladesh Rural
Advancement Committee's Community Empowerment & Strengthening Local Institutions Programme assist
survivors in Bangladesh.[23] The Acid Survivors Foundation in Pakistan operates in Islamabad, offering
medical, psychological and rehabilitation support.[24] The Acid Survivors Foundation in Uganda operates
in Kampala and also provides counseling and rehabilitation treatment to victims of acid attacks, as well as
their families if need be.[25] Additionally in Cambodia, LICADHO, the Association of the Blind in Cambodia
and the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity all assist survivors of acid attacks. The Acid Survivors Trust
International provides specialist support to its sister organizations in Africa and Asia.[25][25]

Indian acid attack survivor Shirin Juwaley founded the Palash Foundation[25] to help other survivors with
psycho-social rehabilitation. She also spearheads research into social norms of beauty and speaks publicly
as an advocate for the empowerment of all victims of disfigurement and discrimination. [25] In 2011, the
principal of an Indian college refused to have Juwaley speak at her school for fear that Juwaley's story of
being attacked by her husband would make students "become scared of marriage".[26]

Regulation of acid sales[edit]

A positive correlation has been observed between acid attacks and ease of acid
purchase.[22] Sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acid are most commonly used and are all cheap and readily
available in many instances. For example, often acid throwers can purchase a liter of concentrated sulfuric
acid at motorbike mechanic shops for about 40 cents. Nitric acid costs around $1.50 per liter and is
available for purchase at gold or jewelry shops, as polishers generally use it to purify gold and
metals.Hydrochloric acid is also used for polishing jewelry, as well as for making soy sauce, cosmetics, and
traditional medicine/amphetamine drugs.[5]

Due to such ease of access, many organizations call for a stricter regulation on the acid economy. Specific
actions include required licenses for all acid traders, a ban on concentrated acid in certain areas, and
enhanced system of monitoring for acid sales, such as the need to document all transactions involving
acid.[3] However, some scholars have warned that such stringent regulation may result in black
market trading of acid, which law enforcements must keep in mind.[3]

Treatment[edit]
First aid information for acid attacks is given on the Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI)
website:[15] also in " External Links" section below.

Treatment for burn victims remains inadequate in many developing nations where incidence is high.
Medical underfunding has resulted in very few burn centersavailable for victims in countries such as
Uganda,[18] Bangladesh,[27] and Cambodia.[3] For example, Uganda has one specialized burn center in the
entire nation which opened in 2003,[18] likewise Cambodia has only one burn facility for victims,[3] and
scholars estimate that only 30% of the Bangladeshi community has access to health care.[27]

In addition to inadequate medical capabilities, many acid assault victims fail to report to the police due to a
lack of trust in the force, a sense of hopelessness due to the attackers' impunity, and a fear of male
brutality in dealing with their cases.[21] Most of the female victims suffer more because of police apathy in
dealing with cases of harassment as safety issues as they refused to register a police case despite the
victim being attacked thrice before meriting police aid after an acid attack.[28] These problems are
exacerbated by a lack of knowledge of how to treat burns: many victims applied various types of oil to the
acid, rather than rinsing thoroughly and completely with water to neutralize the acid. Such home
remedies only serve to increase the severity of damage, as they do not counteract the acidity. [19]

Epidemiology[edit]

According to researchers and activists, countries typically associated with acid assault include Bangladesh,
India, Pakistan, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Hong Kong, China, the United Kingdom, Kenya, South
Africa, Uganda, and Ethiopia. However, acid attacks have been reported in many other countries around
the world, including in:[5]

Afghanistan

Australia

Bulgaria

Canada

Cuba

Egypt

France

Gabon

Indonesia

Italy

Jamaica

Malaysia

Myanmar

Nigeria

Republic of Yemen

Saudia Arabia

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey
 United States

Additionally, anecdotal evidence for acid attacks exists in various other regions of the world such as South
America, Central and North Africa, the Middle East, andCentral Asia.[5] However, despite such widespread
occurrence South Asian countries maintain the highest incidence of acid attacks in the world. [22]

Gender[edit]
Women are at an increased risk of acid violence in certain countries, such as Bangladesh and India. [22]

Another factor that puts victims at increased risk for an acid assault is their socioeconomic status, as those
living in poverty are more likely to be attacked.[21]Additionally, all three nations with the most noted
incidence of acid attacks - Bangladesh, India, and Cambodia - are ranked 93rd, 114th, and 104th,
respectively, out of 134 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index, a scale that measures equality in
opportunities between men and women in nations.[22]

South Asia[edit]
In South Asia, acid attacks have been used as a form of revenge for refusal of sexual advances, proposals
of marriage and demands for dowry.[6] Scholars Taru Bahl and M.H. Syed say that land disputes are
another leading cause.[8]

Bangladesh[edit]

In Bangladesh, where such attacks are relatively common, they are mostly a form of domestic
violence.[29] Bangladesh has the highest reported incidence of acid assault in the world.[16] According to
the Acid Survivors Foundation in Bangladesh, the country has reported 3000 acid attack victims since
1999, peaking at 262 victims for the year of 2002.[22] Rates have been steadily decreasing by 15% to 20%
since 2002, with the amount of acid attack victims reported at 91 in Bangladesh as recently as
2011.[30] Bangladesh acid attacks shows the most gendered discrimination, with one study citing a male to
female victim ratio of 0.15:1[16] and another reporting that 82% of acid attack survivors in Bangladesh are
women.[21] Younger women were especially prone to attack, with a recent study reporting that 60% of acid
assault survivors are between the ages of 10 and 19.[22] According to Mridula Bandyopadhyay and
Mahmuda Rahman Khan, it is a form of violence primarily targeted at women. They describe it as a
relatively recent form of violence, with the earliest record in Bangladesh from 1983.[6]

Acid attacks is often referred to as a "crime of passion," fueled by jealousy and revenge.[16] Actual cases
though, show that they are usually the result of rage at a woman who dares to refuse the advances of a
male. For the country of Bangladesh, such passion is often rooted in marriage and relationships. One study
showed that refusal of marriage proposals accounted for 55% of acid assaults, with abuse from
husband/family member (18%), property disputes (11%) and refusal of sexual or romantic advances (2%)
as other leading causes.[20] Additionally, the use of acid attacks in dowry arguments has been reported in
Bangladesh,[21] with 15% of cases studied by the Acid Survivors Foundation citing dowry disputes as the
motive.[22] The chemical agents most commonly used to commit these attacks are hydrochloric
acid and sulfuric acid.[23]
India[edit]

The Thomson Reuters Foundation survey[31] says that India is the fourth most dangerous place in the world
for women to live in[32] as women belonging to any class,caste or creed and religion can be victims of this
cruel form of violence and disfigurement, a premeditated crime intended to kill or maim her permanently
and act as a lesson to "put her in her place". In India, acid attacks on women [33] who dared to refuse a
man's proposal of marriage or asked for a divorce[34] are a form of revenge. The number of acid attacks
have been rising[35] in India and there have been 68 reported acid attacks in the state of Karnataka since
1999.[36] Tom O'Neill of National Geographic reported that acid attacks are also used to enforce the caste
system in modern India.[37]

Acid attacks in India, like Bangladesh, has a gendered aspect to it: analyses of news reports revealed at
least 72% of reported attacks involved women.[22] However, unlike Bangladesh, India's incidence rate of
chemical assault has been increasing in the past decade, with a high 27 reported cases in
2010.[22] Altogether, from January 2002 to October 2010, 153 cases of acid assault were reported in Indian
print media[22] while 174 judicial cases were reported for the year of 2000.[38]However, scholars think that
this is an underestimation, given that not all attacks are reported in the news, nor do all victims report the
crime to officials.[22]

Motivation for acid attacks in India mirrors those in Bangladesh: 34% of the analyzed print media in India
cited rejection of marriage or refusal by women of sexual advances as the cause of the attack
and dowry disagreements have been shown to spur acid attacks.[22] Land, property, and/or business
disputes accounted for 20% of acid assaults in India from 2002 to 2010.[22] One such incident would
be Sonali Mukherjee's case where the perpetrators were granted bail after being sentenced to nine years of
Jail. Thereafter, when her family approached High Court, all the legislators, and MPs in search of justice, all
she got in return was assurances and "nothing else". The perpetrators got away scot-free.[39] Without media
attention, an acid attack victim languishes in pain and poverty,[40] their families often unable to bear the
medical expenses.

Pakistan[edit]

According to New York Times reporter Nicholas D. Kristof, acid attacks are at an all-time high
in Pakistan and increasing every year. The Pakistani attacks he describes are typically the work of
husbands against their wives who have "dishonored them".[41] Statistics compiled by the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan(HRCP) show that 46 acid attacks occurred in Pakistan during 2004 and
decreased with only 33 acid assaults reported for 2007.[5] According to a New York Timesarticle, in 2011
there have been 150 acid attacks in Pakistan, up from 65 in 2010.[42](subscription required) However, other
estimates by the Human Rights Watch and the HRCP cite the number of acid attack victims to be as high
400-750 per year.[5] Motivation behind acid assaults range from marriage proposal rejections to religious
fundamentalism.[5]

Cambodia[edit]
Acid attacks in Cambodia is more gender neutral, yet still shows slight discrimination toward women with
52% of its survivors women.[22] As with India, rates of acid attacks in Cambodia have generally increased in
the past decades, with a high rate of 40 cases reported for 2000 that started the increasing
trend.[22] According to theCambodian Acid Survivors Charity, 216 acid attacks were reported from 1985-
2009, with 236 reported victims.[3] Jealousy and/or hate is the biggest motivator for acid attacks in
Cambodia, as 28% of attacks reported those emotions as the cause. However, such assaults were not only
perpetrated by men - some reports suggest women attack other women occur more frequently than men
do.[3] Such incidents usually occur between a husband's wife and mistress in order to attain power and
socioeconomic security.[22][43] See Tat Marina. One third of the victims are bystanders.[44] Women suffer a
lot of gender based violence. One of the most violent forms of gender based violence in Cambodia is acid
attacks.[5] In Cambodia, there is only one support center that is aiming to help acid attack survivors.They
can receive medical and legal support.[45]

Middle East[edit]
Acid attacks occurs throughout the Middle East, though comprehensive statistics on these incidences are
not readily available. Internet articles cite immodesty as a motivator for such attacks, with the legs and/or
face of women burnt due to nontraditional dress. Recently, acid assault in Iran has been met with increased
sanctions - the Sharia code of quis, or equivalence justice, required a caught perpetrator of acid violence to
both pay a fine and be blinded with acid in both eyes.[5] The victim,Ameneh Bahrami, sentenced her
attacker to be blinded in 2008. However, as of July 31, 2011, she pardoned her attacker, thereby absolving
Majid Movahedi of his crime and halting the retributive justice of Qisas.[46][47] These increased sanctions
have occurred as a result of elevating acid violence in Iran - according to Afshin Molavi in the early years of
the revolution and following the mandating of the covering of hair by women in Iran, some women were
threatened with acid attacks by Islamic vigilantes for failing to wear hijab.[48] As stated previously, Iran
currently has laws against acid attacks, which are treated as a capital offense.

Aside from Iran, acid violence in other Middle East regions has been reported. In 2006 a group
in Gaza calling itself "Just Swords of Islam" claimed to have thrown acid at a young woman who dressed
"immodestly," and warned other women to wear the hijab, a traditional head scarf.[49] Such attacks or
threats against women who failed to dress "modestly" or threatened traditional norms have also been
reported in Afghanistan. In November 2008, extremists subjected schoolgirls to acid attacks for attending
school.[50] Attacks or threats of attacks on women who failed to wear hijab or were otherwise "immodestly
dressed" have been reported in Afghanistan.[51]Furthermore, acid assault has also been documented in
Saudi Arabia,[16] with some research indicating that children have been recruited to carry out acid attacks. [5]

Africa[edit]
High incidence of acid assaults have been reported in some African countries,
including Nigeria,[19] Uganda,[18] Ethiopia,[22] and South Africa.[16] Unlike occurrences in South Asia, acid
attacks in these countries show less gender discrimination. In Uganda, 57% of acid assault victims were
female and 43% were male.[18] A study focusing on chemical burns in Nigeria revealed a reversal in
findings - 60% of the acid attack patients were male while 30% were female.[19] However, in both nations
younger individuals were more likely to suffer from an acid attack: the average age in the Nigeria study was
20.6 years[19] while Ugandan analysis shows 59% of survivors aged from 1934 years of age.[18]

Motivation for acid assault in these African countries is similar to that of Cambodia. "Relationship conflicts"
caused 35% of acid attacks in Uganda from 1985-2011, followed by property conflicts at 8% and business
conflicts at 5%.[18] Disaggregated data was not available in the Nigeria study, but they reported that 71% of
acid assaults resulted from an argument with either a jilted lover, family member, or business partner.[19] As
with the other nations, researchers believe these statistics to be under-representative of the actual scope
and magnitude of acid attacks in African nations.[18]

In August 2013, 2 Jewish women volunteer teachers Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup from the UK were injured
by an acid attack by men on a moped near Stone Town [52]

South America[edit]
Though comprehensive statistics on acid attacks in South America are sparse, a recent study investigating
acid assault in Bogota, Colombia provides some insight for this region. According to the article, the first
identified survivor of acid violence in Bogota was attacked 15 years ago, and since then reported cases
have been increasing with time. The study also cited the Colombian Forensics Institute, which reported that
56 women complained of aggression by acid in 2010, 46 in 2011, and 16 during the first trimester of 2012.
The average age of survivors was about 23 years old, but ranged from 13 to 41 years.[53]

The study reported a male:female victim ratio of 1:30 for acid assault in Bogota, Colombia. Reasons behind
these attacks usually stemmed from poor interpersonal relationships and domestic intolerance toward
women. Moreover, female victims usually came from low socioeconomic classes and had low education.
The authors also state that the prevalence of acid attacks in other areas of South America remains
unknown due to significant underreporting.[53]

North America and Europe[edit]

As detailed in the "History" section below, acid attacks in the United States and the United Kingdom were
common during the 18th century but have since declined as the judicial system became more
developed.[5] Currently acid assault in the US occurs more often amongst minorities and shows a
correlation with alcohol and/or drug abuse, with specific trends associated with different states. The UK has
the highest male:female victim ratio (6.14:1),[53] while recently there has been a surge in high profile, public
acid attacks in Bulgaria and Greece.[5] Additionally, the government of New Brunswick, Canada, has
identified acid burns as a common form of violence against women.[5]

The number of assaults involving acid throwing and other corrosive substances has tripled in six years in
England, official records show. NHS hospital figures record 144 assaults in 2011/12 involving corrosive
substances, which can also include petrol, bleach and kerosene. Six years earlier, 56 such episodes were
noted. Experts say they believe many of the cases involving acid are linked to communities of immigrants
from Asia, with women attacked by their husbands and punished for refusing forced marriages. [54]
History[edit]

Acid has been used in metallurgy since prehistoric times and also for etching since the Middle Ages and
antiquity. The rhetorical and theatrical term "La Vitrioleuse" was coined in France after a "wave of
vitriolage" occurred according to the popular press, where in 1879, 16 cases of vitriol attacks were widely
reported as crimes of passion, perpetrated predominantly by women against other women.[5] Much was
made of the idea that women, no matter how few, had employed violence as means to an end. On October
17, 1915 acid was fatally thrown on Prince Leopold Clement of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, heir to the House
of Kohry, by his distraught mistress,Camilla Rybicka, who then killed herself. Sensationalizing such
incidents made for lucrative newspaper sales.[55]

The use of acid as a weapon began to rise in many developing nations, specifically those in South
Asia.[27] Since acid can be easily purchased in these countries and is relatively cheap as compared to
weapons like guns or machetes, it was a preferred weapon. Still, acid is occasionally used in Western
nations as well by men scorned by women. In other nations, poisons may be employed as a preferred
weapon for lack of other means readily at hand. For instance, in Africa poisons put in food are frequently
the weapon of choice.[56] The first recorded acid attacks occurred in Bangladesh in 1967,[22] India in 1982,
and Cambodia in 1993.[5] Since then, research has witnessed an increase in the amount and severity of
acid attacks in South Asia. However, this can be traced back to significant underreporting in the 1980s and
1990s, along with a general lack of research for this phenomenon during that time period.[21] Currently,
research shows acid attacks increasing in manydeveloping nations, with the exception of Bangladesh
which has observed a decrease in incidence in the past few years.[22]

Legislation[edit]

Many countries have begun pushing for legislation addressing acid attacks, and a few have recently
employed new laws against this crime.[22] Under the Qisas law ofPakistan, the perpetrator may suffer the
same fate as the victim, and may be punished by having drops of acid placed in his/her eyes.[57] This law is
not binding and is rarely enforced according to a New York Times report.[41] In Pakistan, the Lower House
of Parliament unanimously passed the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill On May 10, 2011. As
punishment, according to the bill individuals held responsible for acid attacks face harsh fines and life in
prison. However, the country with the most specific, effective legislation against acid attacks is Bangladesh,
and such legal action has resulted in a steady 20-30% decrease in acid violence for the past few
years.[22] In 2013, India introduced amendment to the Indian Penal Code through the Criminal Law
(Amendment) Act, 2013, making acid attacks a specific offence with a punishment of imprisonment not less
than 10 years and which can extend to life imprisonment and with fine.[58]

Legislation in India[edit]
India's top court has ruled that authorities must regulate the sale of acid used by jilted boyfriends and
others to attack women. The Supreme Court's ruling on July 16, 2013 comes after a particularly notorious
incident in which four sisters suffered severe burns after being attacked with acid by two men on a
motorbike. An acid called "Tezaab", which is designed to clean rusted tools but is often used in the attacks
can currently be bought across the counter. But the judges said the buyer of such acids should in future
have to provide a photo identity card to any retailer when they make a purchase. The retailers must register
the name and address of the buyer. Growing public anger at the levels of violence against women was
fueled last December by the horrifying gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi, prompting a
toughening of laws on sexual violence.[59]

Legislation in Bangladesh[edit]
In 2002, Bangladesh introduced the death penalty for acid attacks and laws strictly controlling the sale, use,
storage, and international trade of acids. The acids are used in traditional trades carving marble
nameplates, conch bangles, goldsmiths, tanneries, and other industries, which have largely failed to
comply with the legislation. Salma Ali of the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association derided
these laws as ineffective.[60] The names of these laws are the Acid Crime Control Act (ACCA) and the Acid
Control Act (ACA), respectively.[22]

The ACCA directly impacts the criminal aspect of acid attacks, and allows for the death penalty or a level of
punishment corresponding to the area of the body affected. If the attack results in a loss of
hearing or sight or damages the victim's face, breasts, or sex organs then the perpetrator faces either
the death penalty or life sentencing. If any other part of the body is maimed, then the criminal faces 714
years of imprisonment in addition to a fine of US$700. Additionally, throwing or attempting to throw acid
without causing any physical or mental harm is punishable by this law and could result in a prison term of
37 years along with a US$700 fine. Furthermore, conspirators that aid in such attacks assume the
same liability as those actually committing the crime.[22]

The ACA regulates the sale, usage, and storing of acid in Bangladesh through the creation of the National
Acid Control Council (NACC). The law requires that the NACC implement policies regarding the trade,
misuse, and disposal of acid, while also undertaking initiatives that raise awareness about the dangers of
acid and improve victim treatment and rehabilitation. The ACA also calls for district-level committees
responsible for enacting local measures that enforce and further regulate acid use in towns and cities. [22]

Portrayals in Media[edit]

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon - A 1970 American film based
on the fictional novel of the same title by Marjorie Kellog. Directed
by Otto Preminger, the film stars Liza Minnelli as the title character,
who is a woman scarred by battery acid thrown in her face by her
boyfriend. The film explores Junie Moon's relationship with two other
men: an epileptic (played by Ken Howard) and a paraplegic who is gay
(played by Robert Moore).

Saving Face - A 2012 documentary film by Sharmeen Obaid

Chinoy and Daniel Junge that follows Pakistani/British plastic surgeon
 Dr. Mohammad Jawad to his native Pakistan to aid women who were
victims of acid attacks, and examines the Pakistani parliament's
exercise in banning the act of acid burning. The film won the
2012 Academy Award for best Documentary Short.
See also[edit]

Acid attack victims

Domestic violence

Domestic violence in India

Domestic violence in Pakistan

Modesty patrol

Nasreen Pervin Huq

Saving Face (documentary)

References[edit]

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Further reading[edit]

Dasgupta, Shamita Das (2008). "Acid Attacks". In Renzetti, Claire

M.; Edleson, Jeffrey L.. Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence 1 (1st
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE Publications. pp. 56. ISBN 978-1-
4129-1800-8

Breaking the Silence: Addressing Acid Attacks in Cambodia - The

Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity
External links[edit]

acid-throwing-major-problem-of-world_9

Acid Survivors Trust International

Without a Face: portraits of women survivors of acid attacks in

Pakistanby photographer Izabella Demavlys

[show]

Violence against women

 [show]

Socio-economic issues in India

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Domestic violence

Categories:
Chemical weapons attacks
Domestic violence
Violence against women
Violence against women in India
Violence against women in Pakistan
Women's rights in Asia
Acid attack victims
Crimes against women
Human rights abuses in Bangladesh

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