Acid Attacks
Last August, a 21 year old middle-classed women by the name of Sapna became the victim of a horrible acid attack. After rejecting her 32 year old relative’s proposal, he hired men to follow her on her way home from work and throw acid at her face. After the attack, the Delhi state government was supposed to give her 300,000 rupees, or $4,800 US dollars; but only ⅓ of the money was given to her within 15 days after the attack.
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Unfortunately, Sapna is just one of the thousands of acid attack victims in India. Many of the causes of these attacks are the result of proposal and or sexual rejections (17%), demands of dowries (5%) , land/money disputes (39%), marital disputes (9%), family disputes (6%), unknown (13%), and others (11%). In addition, women and girls make up 68.64% of those attacks. In addition to why they are so common, studies also show that it is very easy to get a hold of such chemicals. For instance, acid is widely available throughout its use in laboratories, jewelry stores, toilet cleaners, etc. Due to the multitude of attacks, the government is posting stricter restrictions on all chemical sales within the next two months or so.
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After these attacks, victims often go blind, experience immense damage to skin tissue, and even the dissolving of bones. Dismally, many women in India can barely afford to feed themselves and their families let alone pay for a surgery that may or may not restore a normal appearance. Not only do these acts of terror physically demoralize them, but they also emotionally damage their sense of identity, safety, and life. A majority of the attackers are sentenced to light penalties as well; one victim by the name of Shalu Jain (28 years old) said, “My attackers were out on bail within seven days of the incident and they are still roaming free” (IndiaInsightRSS). In conclusion, although the supreme court's efforts of stopping these acid attacks are commendable, society also needs to learn to become more compassionate towards women.
Various photos of women affected by acid throwing in India