AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACID ATTACK LAWS IN INDIA

The most horrific kind of violence ever performed against anyone is thought to be an acid attack. It is a type of gender-based violence since more than 70% of incidents involve at least one female victim. It is the deliberate and planned application of acid to another person who is not at fault. Possible causes include easy access to acid, a patriarchal society dominated by men, domestic violence, scorned and despised lovers, etc. The attackers, who throw acids on the defenceless victims without thinking about the long-term effects, irreversibly alter their faces and other bodily parts. Bangladesh has been successful in reducing acid violence by almost 80% thanks to their laws making acid attacks punishable by death and requiring acid buyers to obtain a license. Unfortunately, the situation is not the same here in India. The number of acid attacks has not decreased with acid still being openly sold and made available to offenders. The number of acid attack cases is increasing rapidly. It’s high time that the society must let go of the “men over women” narrative and start taking such gruesome crimes seriously. Also, better implementation of the law is required in order to see a decline in these attacks. The victims of this crime should also receive assistance from society by being accepted rather than being shunned and marginalised.