Curtailing acid attacks
Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
In India, acid has often been used as a weapon against women who have turned down advances by men. It has been estimated that around a thousand of women suffer acid attack every year in India.
Acid attacks are seen as one of the most vicious crimes as it causes perpetual suffering to the victim. The daily reporting of incidents of acid attacks on women clearly shows that the male perpetrators disfigure women as a form of revenge.
They get hold of the corrosive chemical without difficulty, and have little fear of the law. The victims die a hundred deaths. Such acid attacks have brought the focus back on the nee for effective monitoring and regulation. With acids being available in the market, for purposes ranging from painting, use in car batteries, in de-weeding and as floor-cleaning substances, they easily fall in the hands of those who want to wreak vengeance.
The male perpetrators disfigure women as a form of revenge. Here the criminal is successful in hiding his identity by covering his face during the crime. This is the reason why there has been tremendous increase in this heinous crime in recent times. Perhaps the most dangerous thing about acid attacks is the fear that they create.
With just a few rupees, anyone can buy a weapon that can ruin another person’s life in just a few seconds. Part of the reason is that acid is cheap and widely available. Many Indians use concentrated acid to sterilize their kitchens and bathrooms, as Americans would use bleach.
A concrete sign of progress in law-making has been the recent ordinance on violence against women, which, among other provisions, included two new sections in the Indian Penal Code (Sections 326A, which prescribes a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment for deadly acid attacks that leave the victims grievously injured and causing severe permanent or partial damage and disability, and Section 326B that makes plans and attempts to fling acid on another punishable with a jail term of between five and seven years with fine).
Besides, Section 326A also envisages a fine that can go up to Rs. 10 lakh and the amount should go to the victim. In many cases, the victims are poor and do not have the means to take up and later follow their cases in court.
Just the regulation of acid sales is, however, not enough. While there are scores of factories manufacturing acid without a licence, illegal sales of the deadly liquid are also quite visible. The Centre has said that acid will be treated as poison. The buyers of acid will now have to produce identity proof, residential proof along with contact number and the purpose of purchase.
The Centre also said that acid sold through retailers will be not strong enough to corrode human body. Moreover, the perpetrators of acid attacks, among the most heinous of crimes, deserve the severest punishment.
It is necessary to impart and inculcate moral values and streamline the police and prosecuting agencies. Leaders cutting across party affiliations should show the requisite political will, courage and conviction to deal ruthlessly with crimes against women.
Instead of preaching always now it is time to awake and do something for ourselves and for society otherwise such incident will continue and we all will be here to repent and acting as mute spectators. Only holistic education system and moral upliftment can bring the change in the society for this burning gender-sensitive issues.
Moreover, the attacks leave the victims in a state of shock and in hospital for months, which helps the accused to either escape or manipulate the law. Experts say that the biggest challenge for an acid attack victim is meeting the medical expenses, as they need multiple surgeries, and rehabilitation could take years or even decades.
Media can also play an active role in curbing acid attacks by highlighting every bit of the story where a woman has been a victim of an acid attack. There is an immense need to come out with legal measures and medical reforms by our government to help these victims.
Men who commit these crimes are usually spurned suitors who want to avenge their rejection. The men should be punished so harshly that no one will ever think of attempting to ruin a woman’s life. Don’t we think that there are many strict laws against acid attacks in India but it’s unfortunate that most of them remain only in paper ?
(The author hails from Jodhpur Tekra Ahmedabad)
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