Global InformationAcid attack information
An acid attack,[1] also called acid throwing, vitriol attack, or vitriolage, is a form of violent assault[2][3][4] involving the act of throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto the body of another "with the intention to disfigure, maim, torture, or kill".[5] Perpetrators of these attacks throw corrosive liquids at their victims, usually at their faces, burning them, and damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones. Acid attacks can lead to permanent, partial, or complete blindness.[6]
The most common types of acid used in these attacks are sulfuric and nitric acid. Hydrochloric acid is sometimes used but is much less damaging.[7] Aqueous solutions of strongly alkaline materials, such as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) or ammonia, are used as well, particularly in areas where strong acids are controlled substances.[8][9][10]
The long-term consequences of these attacks may include blindness, as well as eye burns, with severe permanent scarring of the face and body,[11][12][13] along with far-reaching social, psychological, and economic difficulties.[5]
Today, acid attacks are reported in many parts of the world, though more commonly in developing countries. Between 1999 and 2013, a total of 3,512 Bangladeshi people were attacked with acid,[14][15][16] with the rate of cases declining by 15–20% every year since 2002 based on strict legislation against perpetrators and regulation of acid sales.[17][18] In India, acid attacks are at an all-time high and increasing every year, with 250–300 reported incidents every year, while the "actual number could exceed 1,000, according to Acid Survivors' Trust International".[19][20]
Although acid attacks occur all over the world, this type of violence is most common in South Asia.[21] Statistics from Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) suggest that 80% of victims worldwide are women.[22]
- ^ "Cambodian victim on her acid attack". BBC News. 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ Karmakar, R.N. (2010). Forensic medicine and toxicology (3rd ed.). Kolkata, India: Academic Publishers. ISBN 9788190908146.
- ^ "World Now (blog)". Los Angeles Times. November 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ "Man who threw acid at woman blames 2 others". Los Angeles Times. 19 March 1992. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ a b CASC (May 2010). Breaking the silence: addressing acid attacks in Cambodia (PDF). Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ Swanson, Jordan (Spring 2002). "Acid attacks: Bangladesh's efforts to stop the violence". Harvard Health Policy Review. 3 (1). Harvard Internfaculty Initiative in Health Policy: 3. Archived from the original on 17 January 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ^ Welsh, Jane (Fall 2006). ""It was like burning in hell": A comprehensive exploration of acid attack violence" (PDF). Carolina Papers on International Health. 32. Center for Global Initiatives, University of North Carolina. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ Kelleher, Olivia (2 March 2023). "Man who threw acid in woman's face and set fire to her home jailed for 11 and a half years". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ "Woman jailed for caustic soda attack". BBC News. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ Brown, Malcolm (17 July 2009). "Acid attack accused is refused bail". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ Bandyopadhyay, Mridula; Rahman Khan, Mahmuda (2003). "Loss of face: violence against women in South Asia". In Manderson, Lenore; Bennett, Linda Rae (eds.). Violence against women in Asian societies. London New York: Routledge. pp. 61–75. ISBN 9781136875625.
- ^ AP (12 November 2000). "Bangladesh combats an acid onslaught against women". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 September 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
- ^ Bahl, Taur; Syed, M. H. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Muslim world. New Delhi: Anmol Publications. ISBN 9788126114191.
- ^ UN Women (2014). Acid Attack Trend (1999–2013). UN Women, United Nations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- ^ Taylor, L. M. (2000). "Saving face: acid attack laws after the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women". Ga. Journal Int'l & Comp. Law. 29: 395–419.
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video.nytimes.comwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Dhar, Sujoy. "Acid attacks against women in India on the rise; survivors fight back". USA TODAY. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Q&A: Acid attacks around the world". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ "Everything you know about acid attacks is wrong". BBC Three. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2019.