We are not victims, We are “SURVIVORS”

We change our faces, not our dreams, We destroy our profile our dreams not our impressible soul

We all know “LAXMI AGARWAL” her struggles and her story. There are many women like her who have faced these acid attacks but are still living their lives. It’s high time that we all should raise our voices and fight for our rights. Today let’s discuss a few women and men who have fought against these evil attacks and still survived and live the life they deserved.

Before calling a few names of acid attack survivors. We shall discuss why acid attacks take place:-

Personal Conflict regarding intimate relationships and, sexual rejection
Racial motivation
Sexual related jealousy and lust
Social, religion and political motivation
Gang violence and rivalry
Anti minority discrimination
Conflicts over land ownership
Refuse over marriage proposal and demand for dowry

PRAGYA SINGH:- It was 2006. Barely 12 days after her wedding, 23-year-old Pragya Singh was travelling alone in a train from her hometown, Varanasi, to Delhi, to pursue a career in apparel management. At 2 AM, while she was sound asleep, a man, whose marriage proposal she had turned down, threw acid on her face. She underwent almost fifteen surgeries. Seven years later, with the support of her husband and friends, started Atijeevan Foundation, an NGO which arranges free surgeries and non-surgical treatments for acid attack and burn survivors. She is also a mother to two wonderful daughters.

DAULAT BI KHAN:- A resident of Mumbai, Daulat faced the brutal acid assault at the age of 26, at the hands of her elder sister and brother-in-law. She underwent multiple reconstruction surgeries and faced societal ostracisation for her changed appearance. In 2016, she founded Acid Survivors Saahas Foundation, a haven for acid attack survivors in Mumbai. It provides multi-pronged support to the survivors—ranging from legal assistance to medical care as well as creating employment opportunities. Giving up on life was never an option for the iron-willed lady.

ANMOL RODRIGUEZ:- Anmol was only two months old when her father threw acid on her mother who died of the burns. Anmol, who was in her mother’s lap at that moment suffered severe burns. She underwent many surgeries and ultimately she lost one of her eyes and her face was left severely disfigured. Anmol was raised in an orphanage that added to the difficulties of socializing and making friends. She even had to quit her job because of the discrimination she faced. Today, she is also a fashion icon. She has modelled for several Instagram and YouTube channels.

Not only women face acid attacks but men also face these attacks. Now it’s not only about gender discrimination but also about humanity which day by day the human being is losing. Let’s talk about a few men who also faced acid attacks

CHANDRAHASS MISHRA:- In most cases, men face acid attacks during a domestic dispute or a professional rivalry. But Meerut resident Chandrahass Mishra was attacked at 27 for preventing a molestation attempt on a woman. The attacker was his landlord’s son, whom Chandrahass caught harassing a woman on the street. When he thwarted the attempt, the culprit threatened him with fatal consequences. But Chandrahass remained undaunted and went ahead to complain to his landlord about his son’s behaviour. The following day, the son threw a bucket full of acid on him, leaving him with over 40% burns and lifelong trauma. Today, 34-year-old businessman Chandrahaas is an activist for male acid attack survivors. He is also a coordinator with the NGOs Acid Survivors and Women Welfare Foundation.

FAIZAD ZAFAR:- Muskaan Hilal who had flung acid on Zafar at the Qureshi police station in Aligarh. The girl Muskaan confessed that she had flung acid as the boy was refusing to marry her. The boy has lost vision in one eye and had gone through several injuries also.

Some data I found about acid attacks on my research:-

India tops the charts when it comes to acid attacks. A country where the sale of acid over the counter was banned in 2013, we have too many cases and most where women are attacked as part of domestic violence or for dowries. Among the 19 metropolitan cities recognized by the NCRB including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi etc, Delhi accounts for the highest number of cases filed.

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