Acid attacks on women

[Guest]

The civilized world is recovery from terms coined to describe events like 'honour killing' now they are waking up to newer forms of attacks upon muslim women:<p>It's an attack using corrosive acids which disfigures a young women rendering her an outcast. More heinous is the general apathy to such atrocities in Islamic states.<br>____<br>Bangladesh outdid other nations during this year’s International Women’s Day. Two organisations, the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) and the daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, organised a rally of men along with the victims of acid attacks. About 100 victims and more than 2,000 men from across the country took part in the rally held in Dhaka.<p>Speakers emphasised the importance of building up a social movement against acid attacks and other horrific crimes against women. They also called on men to come forward to stop such crimes.<p>The programme started with a chorus song Amra karbo joi (we shall win) sung by the acid victims. The participants carried banners saying ‘Stop acid attack, save women’’ and chanted slogans demanding an end to such crimes. Among the speakers were Justice Habibur Rahman, the chief adviser of the former caretaker government, Attorney General Hasan Arif and Fazle Hasan Abed, chairperson of BRAC (the largest NGO in the world).<p>A victim, Ruma, said that incidents of acid attacks on women would not halt unless men lent their hand to stop such cases.‘‘The culprits have destroyed my life. Shall I get back to my normal life again? No more acid attacks on women which will ruin their lives,’’ she said in an emotion-choked voice.<p>As an NGO worker in Bangladesh, I have personally seen several victims of acid attacks. Take the case of Promila, the hapless victim of an acid attack by her own husband in Sylhet. Her only crime was she raised an objection to his affair with another woman. She was nine months pregnant when, in a fit of anger, he threw acid on her. <p>The doctor, S.L. Sen, one of the pioneers of plastic surgery in Bangladesh, pointed out that she had lost all the skin on her chest and forehead and her breasts had been affected. According to him, she will need at least two or three operations and even then she may be disfigured for life. What’s worse, she now has to fend for herself and her baby girl, christened Durga by the hospital staff because she was born during the Durga Puja festival. Her husband, meanwhile, is absconding.<p>Then there is Fozilatim Nessa, who had acid thrown on her by a disappointed suitor. She now works at the referral service unit of the ASF and has gone through two operations. Her appearance is not her topmost concern. She is more keen on finishing her HSC exams, which were disrupted by the attack.<p>There are many such unfortunate victims. According to the ASF, which provides assistance to the victims in their treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration into society and works to prevent further attacks, 47 cases were reported in 1996 while the figure up to September 2001 was 235.<p>To put an end to this heinous crime against women, several ideas have been forwarded by activists. One is the control on the retail sale of acid (which has been accepted by the government), a change in the traditional patriarchal attitude to women and an amelioration of the law and order situation where potential attackers are not afraid that they will be caught and punished. So far, 10 death sentences have been awarded but they are still awaiting confirmation from the high court. The slow moving legal machinery and the general apathy to such cases make it worse. Few women see justice because of the fear of the perpetrators and police corruption.<p>There remains much to be done both by civil society and the government before acid attacks in Bangladesh are curtailed or eliminated. <br>