Challenge No.6: Confronting Acid Violence

While I could make a light hearted approach to this diplomat wives hobby event which makes ex-pats feel better about spending money on a night out amidst the surrounding festering poverty just 30 meters away on the otherside of the barb wire, I think I should also point every one to some important websites/research helping women in this region of the world that has survived acid attacks and other gender based violence - ie. violence committed upon people specifically as a result of them being women.

Some things to ponder:

• Acid violence is prevalent in the Indian subcontinent (ie. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) as well as parts of South East Asia. It is however more frequently reported in Bangladesh than any other country.
• Physical "beauty" is the main way which women gains status in societies that denies them equal education, employment etc social opportunties or recognitions, and in Bangladesh for example a women's "beauty" can mean she marries into a better family. Being defaced by acid destroys a women's ability to advance in soceity in this manner, and contains cultural concepts of shame - permanent scarring/ "marking" you (and your family) forever. AV is a gender based violence like rape and genital mutilation, it is a means of controlling women's sexuality and subordinent position via physical harm - eg. punishment for extramarital sex (infidelity), not marrying whom their family directs them to etc. The constant threat of acid violence against women is a method of reinforcing male dominance/the patriarchal power structure - so it is just as important to address as equal access to education, health, economic equality.
• AV is a burden to health expenditures for families and communities. Physical health risks associated with acid attacks eg. further skin diseases and blindness; mental health affects of attacks leading to cases of depression and suicide, plus the combined of the above on women's economic ability to support herself and her family and children

Links:
www.acidsurvivors.org/ (Bangladesh org)
http://cambodianacidsurvivorscharity.org/ (Cambodia org)
http://www.womenatrisk.org.uk/vw1.html (UK based org)

Elora Halim Chowdhury on feminist perspectives on AV in Bangladesh & world
Amartya Sen's chapter on "Missing Women" in Development as Freedom