Acid Attacks Effects

 Acid has a devastating effect on the human body, often permanently blinding the victim. The

aftermath being the inability to do many everyday tasks such as working and even mothering

are rendered extremely difficult if not impossible.

According to the Acid Survivors Foundation in Pakistan, there is a high survival rate amongst

victims of acid attacks. Consequently the victim is faced with physical challenges, which

require long term surgical treatment, as well as psychological challenges, which require indepth

intervention from psychologists and counsellors at each stage of physical recovery. The

victims are often left with no legal recourse, limited access to medical or psychological

assistance, and have no means to support themselves9.

1. PHYSICAL - Acid eats through two layers of the skin, i.e. the fat and muscle

underneath, and sometimes not only eats through to the bone but even dissolve the

bone. The deepness of injury totally depends on the strength of the acid and the

duration of its contact with the skin.

When thrown on a person’s face, acid rapidly eats into eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Eyelids and lips may burn off completely. The nose sometimes melts, closing the

nostrils, and ears shrivel up. Acid can quickly destroy the eyes, blinding the victim.

Skin and bone on the skull, forehead, cheeks and chin may dissolve. When the acid

splashes or drips over the neck, chest, back, arms or legs, it burns everywhere it

touches. The biggest immediate danger for victims is breathing failure. Inhalation of

acid vapors can create breathing problems in two ways:

i) By causing a poisonous reaction in the lungs.

ii) By swelling the neck, which constricts the airway and strangles the victim.

9 Acid Violence as on www.acidviolence.org/index.php/acid-violence

2015 GJLS VOL III, No. 2 Galgotias Journal of Legal Studies ISSN. 2321-1997

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When the burns from an acid attack heal, they form thick scars which pull the skin very

tight and can cause disfigurements. For instance, eyelids may no longer close, the mouth

may no longer open; and the chin becomes welded to the chest10.

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL - Acid assault survivors face many mental health issues upon

recovery. Acid violence victims have been reported with higher levels of anxiety,

depression, due to their appearance. According to the Rosenberg Scale, the women

reported lowered self esteem and increased self consciousness, both in general and in

the social sphere.

3. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC - Acid attacks usually leave victims handicapped in

some way, rendering them dependent on either their spouse or family for everyday

activities, such as eating and running errands. They face a lifetime of discrimination

from society and they become lonely. These dependencies are increased by the fact

that many acid survivors are not able to find suitable work, due to impaired vision and

physical handicapped. As a result, divorce, abandonment by husbands is common in

the society. Moreover, acid survivors who are single when attacked almost certainly

become ostracized from society, effectively ruining marriage prospects. They are

embarrassed that people may stare or laugh at them and may hesitate to leave their

homes fearing an adverse reaction from the outside world. Victims who were not

married are not likely to get married and those victims who have got serious

disabilities because of an attack, like blindness, will not find jobs and earn a living.

Discrimination from other people, or disabilities such as blindness, makes it very

difficult for victims to fend for themselves and they become dependent on others for

food and money11.