Increasing Acid Throwing incidents I

Increasing Acid Throwing incidents In Pakistan  

By Bilawal Soomro 

MC-2k12,

Two days before Eid two girls were targeted acid attacks in Balochistan, the motive behind acid throwing was to get revenge and snatching beauty of victims. Though media has been reporting such incidents, still   many cases go unreported due to social pressure.
Acid burn is an extreme form of violence that harms victims both physically and psychologically and results
social marginalization and stigmatization. In Pakistan 70 percent of its victims are women while girls and 30 percent are men and kids.
In Pakistan, the acid and burn legislation aiming at eradicating acid and burn violence was proposed after the Naila Farhat’s case was taken to the supreme court of Pakistan in 2009. It was the the first acid attack case reached apex level of jurisdiction in the history of Pakistan, the victim won the case and it was followed by a suo moto action by former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in November 2009, who consequently advised or request Pakistani Parliamentarians to legislate on acid and burn violence on the model of the Bangladeshi law.
Pakistan is one of the countries having much number of acid thrown cases in the world. In fact, nearly 150 incidents of acid attack take place every year in Pakistan, about 50 cases occur in Balochistan. Acid throwing cases happened in south Punjab as well as in Sindh randomly dispersed throughout the rest of the country. Acid attacks became illegal in Pakistan in 2010 when parliament passed the Acid Control and Acid crime Prevention Bill, severe punishments were drafted in bill.
The individual interviews with Survivors conducted in November 2012 demonstrated that generally victims experienced that culminated in acid being thrown at them. They told that secondary data based on notification reported that in 60% of the cases violence suffered before acid attack was sexual, in 26% of the cases it was physical violence while physical violence in combination with financial pressure occurred in 11% of the cases.
There were 7571 reported cases of violence against women in Pakistan in 2008, which jumped to 8548 an increase almost 13% in 2009. There were a total of 65316 cases of violence against women were shown in various media from the year 2008 to 2011.
As comprehensive draft bill on Acid throwing acid and burn crime Bill still awaits approval in legislative assembly as well as in provincial assemblies. Collected data of Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) shows that around 127 cases of Acid burn have been done from January to August; but only 76 cases were reported, 76% women were targeted in these cases and 24% men and kids were targeted.
However the law is rarely enforced in rural areas and acid attacks continue, even on the heels of oscar winning documentary, Saving Faces which featured a number of Pakistani acid attack victims.
According to ASF, statistics also shows increasing number of acid attacks, 43 cases in 2009 and 55 cases in 2010, 150 in 2011, 110 in 2012 and 143 in 2013.
In July, 24, 2008, Irum, she was 20, a student of private University, suffered acid burning on her face, back shoulder, the cause of throwing was her rejection a proposal of marriage. She has undergone plastic surgery 25 times to recover her face.
Shehnaz is also one of unfortunate girls; she was burned with acid by a relative due to family dispute five years ago in Lahore. Another case, at the age of five Najaf was burned by her step father while she was sleeping; father did not want any her more due to her gender. Najaf became blind and after being abandoned by both her step parents, now she lives with other relative.
Any violence in the society is destructive for its well being. Acid burning is not only a violence from which one can easily recovered but it is very difficult to get rid from the post conditions of acid burning, talking with a renowned women activist Zahida Detho, she said: “acid burning severely unfit an individual in the society and ultimately victim get the way to end his life, it does put psychological pressure on mind so the counseling is mandatory at least to recover its mind state”.

Practical work done under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi