Acid attacks: New law hikes punishment, but doesn't help victims

Throughout much of the middle east there are as many as 1500 reported cases of acid attacks per year, many of these are in India, at the center of women's rights reform. As the new women's rights policy was signed into law by the prime minister, an acid attack against 4 young women occurred just north of the capital.   Three of the four women were transported to a local hospital and treated for minor burns while the fourth was transported to Dehli for much more serious burns.
This ironic situation may be one of the first cases tried under the reformed policy regarding acid attacks where the offenders may spend up to 10 years in prison and pay steep penalties. While this reform has made the punishment for offenders much stricter than before many women's rights activists and organizations such as Stop Acid Attacks (SAA) campaign, do not feel that this change in policy was enough. Many of these activists were looking for more than stricter punishments, they were looking for federal support for the victims of these attacks. 

This article gives multiple examples of acid attack victims and their physical and mental status after their attacks. The author did this to prove that offering the victims a small pension (Rs. 1 lakh) would not be enough to assist in the healing process of the victims. Many of these women were in the process of reconstructive surgery and therapy to deal with being physically and mentally maimed as well as being socially ostracized and did not feel that the compensation was enough. Unlike some surrounding countries (Bangladesh) India has no laws or policies against the distribution, purchase or possession of these skin burning acids. That being stated, these acids are not difficult to come across in India and that in conjunction with the very unpopular (in many traditional areas) women's rights campaign may explain the abundance of these attacks. 

Some people feel that government issued insurance for the reconstructive surgeries or government issued jobs for the victims would be a much more appropriate compensation. There is no bill in the Indian Parliament that stresses these ideas, the only one in recent years was the one attached to the women's protection policy that was signed in to law earlier this month. 

http://newindianexpress.com/nation/article1536185.ece
Caroline Dawkins
4/10/2013
1:15 am