Author: Lisha Chauhan, IV year of B.A.,LL.B from Fairfield institute of management and technology.
Women give a very important and precious role in our society, Indians used to call them goddess they give birth to a new life and such criminals ruin their life in the name of refusal of marriage, denied sex, religious conflicts, land disputes, and sometimes male ego. Even when govt has banned the sale of acid there are still so many vendors who sell acid knowingly and unknowingly about the misuse of acid in our society.
An acid attack destroys a family completely, and the survivors have to undergo at least 80 reconstruction operations. Such attackers cannot bear that he has been rejected and seeks to destroy the body of the woman who has dared to stand up to him. The most common type of acid used on victims includes sulphuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acid. Attackers target the face and heads of the survivors to destroy them, and there is an activity that blinds a person for life and pushes her into the everlasting life of pain and disfigured faces.
The major victim attacked of acid attacks are Women (47%), Men (26%), and children (27%) who could not escape from the attack and it is very shocking to mention here that sometimes Domestic animals or birds are also victimized. How can we imagine only rejection is the cause of acid attack which left them with the burning skin sensation, coming off fume, feeling like someone stripped their skin and sprinkled chili powder inside or when acid attacks the eye, it damages the vital organs permanently. There are so many acid attack survivors who have lost the use of one or both eyes. The nose and ears can be severely lost their sensation, eyelids, or lips completely damaged. The strongest and most commonly used acids are sulphuric and nitric, and they rapidly eat away the skin, the layer of fat beneath the skin, and in severe cases even the bone beneath. It takes 30-45 minutes for the survivor’s burning sensation to fade. A normal person can’t bear the small burning sensation for minutes and these survivors bear that pain for almost an hour and left them in pain for their whole life. This results that the victim being faced with physical challenges, which require long–term surgical treatment. One acid attack would dramatically change their life. There are survivors who have been forced to give up on their dreams, education, occupation, and their daily lifestyle. One of the survivors Bangladeshi woman, Farida says “Society is so Cruel” When people hear that her husband threw acid on her after she threatened to leave him, they immediately assumed that she’s a bad person. Do we need to ask ourselves that as a society we accept acid attack survivors? Acid attack survivors say a big ‘NO’. Madhu Kashyap one of the acid attack survivors says for years she would not show her scarred face in public. People Stared. The victim once told that she looked good from behind but she assume herself terribly ugly, she was a witch. But now her lips glistened with ruby lipstick. “Whenever people stare at the face of the survivors with an terrible reaction survivors smile at them, some smile back but some run away which hurts a lot”. They feared coming close to them for consolation. “Society feels shy to look at them but what about the person who threw acid on them”. “In India, people react suspiciously if victims walk on the road without covering their face. They kept on asking questions without any hesitation, they stare at us badly. Those criminals destroy their face, they destroy their sight, but as long as they’re alive, they can achieve anything Such attacks usually leave victims handicapped in some way.
IT’S NOT YOUR MISTAKE, IT’S THEIR’S THEY SHOULD BE THE ONE COVERING THEIR FACE NOT YOU.
EFFECTS
Acid attack on a human body is inexpensively detrimental, often permanently blinding the victim. It takes 2 minutes to put on blush but only 3 seconds to scar a face. Some survivors may have permanent damage to their facial features and scarring that affects the ability to create expressions. Acid attack rarely kills but do they not take lives.
Psychological
Victims also suffer from excruciating pain due to their injuries. The pain interferes with their daily life. Majority of the respondents (70%) that they had to face psychological effects which include sympathetic behavior of family, ignorance of children, and taunting behavior of relatives.
Other psychological effects like external trauma, social isolation, and suicide plan were also found. While belongings like fear, threat, and frustration are very high.
Physical
Imagine the physical effect of having liquid acid thrown into your face. Not surprisingly, acid attacks are called “Torture in a Bottle” Recent Statistics show that the UK, especially London, experiences more acid attacks than any other country. When acid is thrown on a person, the results can be horrifying. The acid can rapidly eat away at the skin, the layer of fat beneath the skin, or in some cases even the underlying bone. Eyelids and lips might be totally pulverized, and the nose and ears seriously harmed or lost their sensation. The Ear ligament is normally mostly or completely annihilated which prompts deafness. Eyelids may be burned off or deformed, leaving the eyes extremely dry and which cause blindness. The acid attack scars can run down from the jawline to neck territory, contracting the jaw.
After consuming mend, scars are shaped. The scars pull the skin tight and cause deformations. A few instances of deformations are:
Eyelids may not close;
The mouth may not open, lips destroyed;
The jaw becomes employed to the chest;
The nose is contracted, nostrils are shut finished, ligaments might be demolished;
Cheeks become scarred;
The chest may have thin lines or the wide spots of the scars brought about by the corrosive that trickled or sprinkled upon it;
The Economic
The survivors due to their inability can't work which drives them to be reliant on another person for their food and asylum. Regardless of whether the casualty can accomplish some work, they won't get any work. The businesses while surveying the capability, abilities, and capacities likewise will in general evaluate the vibes of the person which frequently prompts these casualties to be delivered jobless. “BUT THAT DIDN’T STOP HER FROM FINISHING THAT SHE HAD SET TO DO”.
Legal Effect of Acid Attack
Prior to 2013, acid attack assault was not viewed as different wrongdoing by the Indian Penal Code. India Today Data Intelligence Unit (DIU) has seen that somewhere in the range of 2014 and 2018, there have been 1,483 casualties of corrosive assaults in the country. This is as indicated by information delivered by National Crime Records Bureau. Areas 326A and 326B were brought into the Indian Penal Code by the method of Criminal Law (Amendment Act) 2013 giving the discipline to aid attack assault and attempted acid attack. The offense is registered under the Indian Penal Code area 320, 322, 325, 326, and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In the case of Laxmi v UOI, the SC passed an order to managing the offer of acid in shops.
Haseena Hussain
The denounced Joseph Rodriguez, the ex-supervisor of the victim tossed 1.5 liters of sulphuric acid on her when she chose to leave her place of employment. The acid softened her face, combined her shoulder and neck, wore out her head, consolidated her fingers, and blinded her forever. The charge was indicted under segment 307 of IPC and was condemned to detainment forever. A pay of Rs2,00,000 notwithstanding the Trial Court fine of Rs.3,00,000 was paid to the person in question. This is a milestone case as it was the first occasion when an enormous whole was granted to the Victim to meet her clinical costs.
Sonali Mukherjee
Sonali Mukherjee, a lady from Dhanbad was assaulted by acid when she was only 18 years old. In 2003, three asserted aggressors to be specific Tapas Mitra, Sanjay Paswan, and Brahmadev Hajra tossed acid at her when she was sleeping on top of her home. She got different consumed wounds and her face got disfigured. The culprits were condemned to the detainment for nine years yet were delivered on bail when appealed to the High Court.
Laxmi
Laxmi, a multi-year elderly person from Delhi is an acid attack survivor. Two men poured acid on her while she was hanging tight for transport close to Tughlaq street in 2005. She would not wed one of her aggressors distressed by which he left her distorted forever. Acid had severely consumed her entire face. She had experienced seven medical procedures and still needs four additional medical procedures to show up and look like what it was. She has a place with a helpless family and would have always been unable to treat herself had she been not helped by a supporter who bore her clinical costs of around Rs2.5 lakh. Laxmi can never look the manner in which she used to however she is as yet a motivation to every such lady who has been the victim of an acid attack like her. She didn't free mental fortitude and had pushed against acid brutality by social affair 27,000 marks for a request in
Supreme Court of India to control acid deals. Her PIL looked for encircling of another law, or correction to the current criminal laws like IPC, Indian Evidence Act, and CrPC for managing the offense, other than requesting pay. She had likewise argued for a complete restriction at a bargain of acid, referring to expanding the number of episodes of such attacks on ladies over the country. It was her request which drove the Supreme Court to give a memorable choice with respect to guidelines for the sale of acid. She is at present the overseer of the Chhanv Foundation, an NGO committed to helping the overcomers of acid attack survivors in India. Laxmi got a 2014 International Women of Courage grant from US First Lady Michelle Obama. She was likewise picked as the NDTV Indian of the Year.
“Supreme court through its guideline has implemented many rules on the sale of acid out of these are not being implemented properly in any state. Therefore acid is made easily available and attacks are taking place,” said a survivor.