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Thursday, March 14, 2013

ACID ATTACKES





“MY FACED WAS ON FIRE”

  • v  At 16, Nurunnahar was a beautiful young woman with a bright future. But “In 1995, a young boy of my village told me he was in love with me. He got angry when I refused him. One night, the boy, alone with 10 of his friends, stormed into our house and threw acid at my face. It was so painful. I felt as if my face was on fire. I underwent treatment for 7 months. It shattered my dreams”

           But she didn't give up.” I resolved to start a new life no matter if I’m beautiful or not”. Now a student at Dhaka Commerce College, she thinks of starting a career but painfully, very rarely of marriage.
“Six of the accuses out of 11, were acquitted by the court. Two were sentenced to death, but they are planning to appeal the high court. I don’t know what will ultimately happen, but the acquitted persons are now treating to kill me”

 v  Beena, another victim was attacked when she tried to save her youngest sisters from the hands of miscreants. She has recovered after 7 operations in 8 months, but the acid disfigured her face, neck and a part of her chest. She now works with Naripckho, a women’s rights organization, helping acid attack victims share their pain, comfort one another and come to terms with their new reality.


According to the Bangladesh women’s Legal Committee, the police recorded 174 similar incidents recently in the country. 10 of the victims were girls under age 10 and 79 were between 11 and 20.


REASONS FOR ACID ATTACKS
  1.      Either a failed offer of love or marriage.
  2.     Over dowry
  3.     Either land disputes or past familial enmity
  4.     Over conjugal feuds
  5.    Other disputes


The question still remains….. Why don’t we ever get to hear that a man has faced an acid attack? Is this really fair? Why is it mostly women that have to face for injustice? 

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