ON Sunday, two women in Karachi became victims of yet another horrific acid attack. Reportedly, a man and woman threw the substance on them over a property dispute. They were rushed to Civil Hospital’s Burns Ward. Prior to this, in July, a madressah teacher was arrested for sexually assaulting and throwing acid on children in Rahim Yar Khan. Such brutal and premeditated acts of violence are all too common in South Asian countries, and while their occurrence — at least the cases that come to light — has decreased in Pakistan, perhaps due to improved legislation and relentless advocacy work, there are still far too many such incidents. Revenge and control are common underlying themes behind such attacks, with rejected suitors and abusers using acid as their weapon of choice to ‘punish’ their victims, disfiguring and psychologically scarring them for life. Other reasons include land disputes, personal or political vendettas, and warped notions of ‘honour’.

It takes years for survivors to piece their lives together, and some never do. Who can forget the tragic short life of Fakhra Younus? In her own words, her estranged husband, former MPA Bilal Khar, threw acid on her face, severely disfiguring her and blinding her in one eye. After 12 painful years and 39 surgeries, Fakhra took her own life by jumping from the balcony of her sixth-floor apartment in Italy. She left behind a suicide note, blaming “the silence of law” and “the insensitivity of rulers” for her death. Just one year before Fakhra’s death, the National Assembly had passed the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill, 2011, which said that offenders would have to face a minimum of 14 years to maximum life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs1m. Then, in 2018, the National Assembly unanimously passed the Acid and Burn Crime Bill, 2017, which offers free medical treatment and rehabilitation for survivors, but it has yet to become law. Politicians and law enforcement should not forget about this crime.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2020