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| An acid attack survivor in Cambodia This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. |
“Girl succumbs to injuries from acid attacks”
“24-year-old critical after acid attack”
“Girl commits suicide after acid attack”
There is no dearth of news reports of
sordid events of such a kind. Violence against women seems to be an unabashed, untrammelled
occurrence – whether in the form of rape, or in the form of acid attacks. One
wonders what this ill-conceived notion of patriarchy is, that a woman’s face is
so easily treated as the equivalent of a tiled bathroom floor. As if it is not
bad enough that a woman has to be put on the spot for the way she looks, men
think they can alter the way she looks for reasons best known to them, by
defacing them.
Acid attacks are fairly common occurrences
in many parts of the world - not that this is intended to be a statement in the light of one
speaking about pizza chains being common. They are often carried
out as hate or vengeful crimes where a woman who has rejected the advances of a
man might be the one at the receiving end of the attack, or sometimes, as dowry
crimes and assaults as part of domestic violence.
What happens in an acid attack?
Acids are corrosive substances. The moment
they meet skin, they begin to corrode it, burning it into an acrid lump of
flesh. The severity of damage that is felt ultimately depends on the
concentration of the acid itself, and the amount of time that lapses before the
acid is thoroughly washed off with water, or neutralized with a neutralizing
agent. The moment acid touches skin, it corrodes the skin, the layer of fat
beneath the skin, and if it is not stopped by neutralization or washing off,
the acid can corrode he bone.
When on the face, acids may destroy the
physical features, eroding the eyes, lips, nose and even ears. Depending on how
much acid falls on the body and face, the damage can range anywhere from corrosion
of features and skin, to even death after a protracted battle. When the victim
survives the attack, life isn’t easy. Right from physical challenges that need
surgical intervention to be set right to psycho-social rehabilitation, there
are plenty of hurdles in a survivor’s path. Often,
the suffering of the survivor is doubled. As doctors, individually, we do our
best to save a patient who comes into our care. But sometimes, there is a
bigger system in play, and a lot of doctors step back the moment they know that
a person is a victim of a criminal case. Moreover, nearly all these victims
that come to the government hospital are not in a position to afford legal
help, nor are they in a position to call the shots with the medical aid they
need.
Medical treatment
Most commonly available acids that are used
to attack victims are hydrochloric, sulphuric, or nitric acid, which quickly
burns through flesh and bone. Consequently, there is need for attention to the
damage caused by the corrosive agents that these acids are. Immediately, or at least as soon as
possible, the acid needs to be washed off. If it is not washed off immediately,
the acid remains corrosive. The deeper it penetrates, the more damage it can
cause in the form of skeletal, muscular or flesh damage, and even cause organ
failure. So delay has to absolutely be ruled out. The dead skin must be removed immediately. If
it is not removed within four or five days of the attack, the new skin may grow
and wind up being the cause of further facial deformities. Where there is
burned skin tissue around joint areas, it must be removed to facilitate
movement.
Skin may grow back in some areas, such as
over eyelids or nostrils of victims. But, if the dead skin or burned skin is
not removed, lumps may form. Severe pain and disabilities need to be averted.
For this, acid burn victims need many surgeries and plenty of therapy at each
stage to ensure that scarred tissue remains elastic and does not harm the other
parts of the body that are fit.
Criminalising the victim
A lot has been said and done about how the
country is furious about a lack of attention to the cause of violence against
women. Most blame the security sector – the police and the legal wing – for its
inaction. There is often a lot of apathy towards such victims. There are
instances where the police have refused to register cases, though the victims
have been attacked on multiple occasions. On many occasions, these women are found
running from pillar to post, as they simply don’t get enough medical attention.
How do you defend yourself against an acid attack?
Though an acid attack is not very much that
one can defend themselves against – especially seeing as how much damage a few
drops can cause. Nevertheless, here are a few pointers you could do well to
know about.
-
Stay away from desolate areas:
Though an attacker isn’t necessarily bothered about the whereabouts if he has
decided to attack, be sure to keep to a crowded place where you are not already
vulnerable by location, to an attack.
-
Wear more clothes: Use a jacket
to cover your arms, and cover your face, whether with a dupatta or a scarf, or
even a hoodie. Clothes cannot completely protect you, yes, but it is one level
between the acid and your face that you can peel off quickly if you’re good
with your reflexes.
-
Use sunglasses. Throw style out
of the window and get yourself fairly huge sun glasses. The bigger they are the
better sheath of protection they offer for your eyes. Remember, if the acid
falls directly on your eyes, it can wind up costing you a lifetime of vision.
-
Use books and files. Make sure
to carry a book or a file – a fairly thick one at that – in your hands. The
moment you apprehend a possible attack, you can swing it to cover your face and
minimize the damage.
-
Use a self-driven mode of
transport as much as you can, rather than walking or public transport, if you
can help it.