Stinging realities of acid attack survivors

Apathy

The government and police have generally been insensitive in dealing with acid attack survivors, writes Pushpa Achanta 

For most women and girls, their first encounter with acid (of the concentrated hydrochloric, sulphuric, nitric variety) is usually during a cleaning operation at home or in a science laboratory at school.

But for some it is a visible, indelible and painful reminder of the vengeance and violence perpetrated by their husbands, 'jilted' or 'rejected' paramours and other men - neighbours, classmates, co-workers, employers, acquaintances, clients, landlords, tenants, shopkeepers or security guards - with whom they might have had disagreements or an unpleasant encounter at least once.

The men are familiar with the nature, habits and movements of the women and girls on whom they intend to seek revenge and are, therefore, able to plan the attack in advance. What makes the crime simple to execute - and is the reason behind the rise in the number of such incidents - is the easy availability of this toxic and dangerous substance. A 200 ml bottle of acid costs a mere Rs 50, and the point of sale is not mandated to ask for the credentials of the buyer, purpose of purchase, or to maintain a record of the transaction.

The story of Sridevi (name changed), a feisty 43-year old homemaker, from Tumkur district near Bangalore, is sadly not uncommon. She narrates, "My husband threw acid on me in 2004. He was jailed for seven years but is remorseless. Now, he has been released and is free to go about his life."

Multiple Woes

Sridevi's suffering, however, has not ended. "I have undergone at least eight operations to restore a part of my vision and multiple grafts of the skin on my face, neck and stomach. The government paid for some of the expenditure on my treatment after a lot of follow-up but I have been forced to spend much more. Every trip to Bangalore costs me a few hundred rupees increasing my economic burden. My children are grown up and work in their fields. But I have no skills or experience to undertake any income generating activity. I am forced to rely on the disability pension - a paltry sum of Rs 400 - I receive every month from the government and some financial support from my family. And the attack has had an extremely adverse impact on my physical and emotional health."

What women like Sridevi need is support - and, of course, justice. Sushma Verma, a human rights activist and member of the Campaign and Struggle Against Acid Attacks on Women (CSAAAW), has met many Sridevis in the course of her work.

She shares, "We have been assisting the survivors in obtaining relief from the government and law courts. Our documentation includes study reports, survivor testimonies and audio-visual clips to create awareness on the issue."

The CSAAAW, a registered non-profit trust, has been operating as a coalition of women's rights organisations and media activist groups that are based largely out of Bangalore, since 2003. However, the origins of the campaign go back to 1999 when Indian Air Force (IAF) employee Joseph Rodrigues had thrown two litres of concentrated sulphuric acid on 19-year-old Haseena Hussain, blinding and scarring the promising computer technologist in the IT city, for resisting his overtures.

In January 2004, the CSAAAW had organised a public hearing where women acid attack survivors and their families had shared testimonies of the inhuman actions that they had endured. The campaign also brought out a comprehensive report, titled 'Burnt but not defeated', which has captured in detail the date, time and place of various incidents, the personal details such as name, age, occupation, information regarding the family, the aftermath of the episode in terms of the duration and type of medical treatment and the expenditure.

Permanent Damage

Contact with acid can result in a wide range of injuries and even long term or permanent damage depending on the concentration and volume used. It can cause burns, scars, dissolving of the skin and tissues underneath and even have a corrosive effect on the bones. Many survivors have to undergo a number of surgeries and other procedures on their eyes, nose, ears and skin on the face, neck and other parts of the body. Just like Sridevi did.

A paucity of financial resources also forces many survivors to discontinue their treatment. This is true for Dr Maria D, who once had a successful practice as a family physician in Mangalore, a coastal town in southern Karnataka.

The mother of a four-year-old boy was living in a rented accommodation when her landlord, Jeeva, discovered that she was single. When Maria did not respond to his sexual advances, he threw sulphuric acid on her as she was returning home from her clinic one evening. It took some time for Maria to alert others and receive medical assistance. Bribes paid to the police delayed Jeeva's prosecution. Unable to fund her recovery, Maria began working as a doctor in a government hospital. 

Another survivor, Amreen Taj, who is in her mid-30s and hails from Bidar district in north Karnataka, used to work in a factory. In her case, it was a male supervisor against whom she had lodged a complaint of harassment, who had had acid hurled at her in an act of retaliation. She could only return to her job many months later and did not get any salary arrears. The accident benefit that she was given was also minimal. And it took a while for the offender to be arrested and convicted, as the employer did not cooperate with the police at the time of the investigation. Today, Amreen says, "Although I am suffering, I have the courage and determination to back people who have faced any kind of gender violence."

Insensitive

Unfortunately, the government and police have generally been insensitive in dealing with acid attack survivors. Changes in ministers and officials and the attitude of the staff of Karnataka's State Commission For Women has not made the situation any better. In fact, the latter also apparently admitted to misplacing some of the women's case documents when their office was being refurbished.

Further, the numerous times that the survivors have to visit state capital Bangalore to get reimbursements of their medical expenses, demonstrates the callousness of the women's body. During a meeting held in December 2012, Manjula C., the then chairperson of the Karnataka Women's Commission had agreed to follow up on the overdue matters but her overall approach showed a lack of genuine commitment to the cause.

One welcome move, however, has been the recent inclusion of acid attacks among the categories of crimes in the Sexual Assault Bill 2012. But Mallige, another activist associated with CSAAAW, feels, "The compensation due from the government should be raised to Rs 5 lakh from the present amount of Rs 2 lakh. Further, the perpetrators must be tried quickly and punished severely. And the survivors must automatically qualify for a monthly pension, concessions in using public transport, reservations in higher education and employment and other benefits similar to those given to people with disabilities."

As with any gender specific crimes, making any meaningful difference to people surviving these barbaric acts requires transformation in medical and legal procedures and societal mindsets.

(Names and locations of some of the survivors have been changed)