Issues and problems involving acid attacks against male victims in India

Abstract

Acid attacks involve dousing a victim with a concentrated acidic or caustic fluid. The head and face are most often targeted to maximize the chances of disfigurement, as the intention is usually to cause life-long disability, pain and lack of psychological wellbeing rather than death. In India it is often regarded as a form of gender-based violence aimed predominantly at women, frequently following the rejection of a proposed sexual relationship, however, a significant subset of cases involve males. Four cases are reported to demonstrate the different reasons for such attacks in males including revenge for reporting criminal activity, intra-familial disputes and apparently random episodes. Male acid attack victims may represent an over-looked subgroup that often does not receive adequate compensation or government support to access disability services, despite this being mandated by recent legislation.

Characteristics of acid attacks involving children in India

“…Vitriolage, or acid attacks, usually involve sulphuric acid, nitric acid or hydrochloric acid, corrosive agents that are freely available for sale in India for use in cleaning and other industrial purposes. 4 Burning a victim causes immediate pain from soft tissue and bone destruction. As the head is usually the primary target there may be burns of the upper aerodigestive tract if fluid is swallowed or inhaled.…”

“…1,2 While much has been written about female victims in India, it is recognized that a subset of victims are male and that they may have specific differences to females victims in terms of motivation for the attacks and subsequent rehabilitation. [4][5][6] Whatever motivates the perpetrator to attack; this form of assault is particularly heinous. In only a minority of cases is the death of the victim intended.…”

“…1,2 While much has been written about female victims in India, it is recognized that a subset of victims are male and that they may have specific differences to females victims in terms of motivation for the attacks and subsequent rehabilitation. 4–6…”

“…7 He or she is often destined to become a dependent medical in- or outpatient, who for their remaining years will be forced to plan their lives around public hospital clinic attendance and medical/surgical therapy. 4 One group that has not received significant attention in the literature, however, is that of children and adolescents. Given that the situation of children may be different to adults, the following study was undertaken to evaluate for the first time the characteristics of a group of paediatric acid attack survivors.…”