Acid attacks: facing a heinous crime

Greg Garraway
2/24/2011
10:40 A.M

Acid attacks: facing a heinous crime
The article I chose focused on acid attacks. There is an Acid Survivors Foundation it reported that there has been more than 3,000 reported acid attacks in Bangladesh since 1999. There should be a higher amount of victims but the government does not record official figures. The majority of attacks are on women and children mainly between 78%-90%. The attacks happen everywhere but mostly in Bangladesh, Cambodia and India due to the cheap and easy availability of acid. "The results of an acid attack can be heinous. It eats through skin and bone, leaving burns which permanently disfigure, maim and kill. The motivations for such attacks vary widely, but domestic violence, divorce and land disputes are among the most common. Often women are attacked with acid to mar their physical attractiveness and to prevent other men marrying them, which is why their faces are targetted." These attacks highlight on gender inequality .
Analysis: This is an attack on women and their freedom, for the fact that the men do this over violence, divorce and disputes its disgusting. This is a social problem many people are getting affected by this and it seems to be only getting worse. The society as a whole can do things to stop the attacks, like limiting the acid that is being sold and distributed to the general public. I am not sure protesting or other women joined groups would change much in their society but it could raise the awareness of these attacks. The police could specify on the attacks and threaten law breakers to a harsh punishment upon committing the attacks. Its sad that mainly woman have to remain in fear for the attacks but with enough help from ones society and social push for the acid to stop being sold to people perhaps without a license things could look brighter in the future.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/acid-attacks-facing-a-heinous-crime-2204294.html