Scarred for life

“ We are more abused, harassed, exploited, kidnapped, raped, trafficked, murdered by our lovers, husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins, friends, or men we know well, than by strangers. Whatever happens to us, we still never stop loving men “

Over the last month, I’ve been seeing an increased number of posts & photos about acid attacks all over social media. It brought tears to my eyes as I glanced through the photos and read over the tragic experiences of each of those women. It brings great amounts of disgust to me, knowing that many of these culprits are let off with bail and aren’t behind the bars.

It’s so common now, that nearly every day we are woken up to see a large number of articles in our newspapers featuring a number of sexual crimes that happen not only across the country, but also across the world. There is a story on nearly every page of the paper about a number of rapes, acid attacks and other heinous crimes. Acid attacks are probably the most brutal yet easily committed crimes in our society today.  They are one of the most heinous crimes against women, a crime which is rampant across the globe. It not only inflicts physical injuries but also destroys the victim's entire life, leaving the scars of the heinous crime on the body and mind of the victims.

Acid attacks are very common in South Asia; there are high numbers of attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh & India. India has an increasing problem with acid attacks each year; an estimated 1,000+ acid attacks take place every year. 

The biggest reasons for the ridiculously high rate of acid attacks in South Asia can be explained by the easy accessibility of acids.  Acids are cheap and can easily be obtained in the markets for very low prices. The fact that there are no legal restrictions imposed about buying or selling acids in my opinion is, PATHETIC.

Our understandings of a chemical burn may be very limited, simply because we’ve never experienced a pain like such. None us of have ever experienced anything more severe than a burn from a hot liquid or even a hot vessel. However, an acid or chemical burn on the other hand, leaves a person severely unstable not only physically but also mentally. For a victim to return to life as it was before the attack can be extremely difficult and very challenging.

I nurture a small hope that our society will one day finally put a stop to this war on women. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll happen any time soon......

“Where is the justice? Where is the law?.......... Nowhere”