Acid attacks: a gender equality problem?

It is said acid throwing involves a gender equality problem, bringing about that
whenever an acid attack is reported by the media a woman is believed to have
been injured; it is not even considered that a man could be the victim. It is
important to clarify that men can be victims as well as the reasons why people
do not know how likely a man is to be attacked and why it is almost always
considered an act of violence just against women.
What an acid attack is can be defined according to Sital Kalantry (2011):
Acid violence involves intentional acts of violence in which perpetrators throw,
spray, or pour acid onto victims faces and bodies. (P.9) Based on that,
throwing acid can be considered a barbaric act, an undeniable desire to hurt
another person by using acid. The way it is performed depends on the context,
thus, an attacker can use the way he or she considers the most accurate. To
illustrate it; a victim of an acid attack, Sheikh Mohammad Noman, perpetrated
by his wife, told in an interview She said, Ive got something for you, please
forgive me. As soon as I turned around she threw acid on me (P.1). It can be
observed that a person can be attacked in just one second, he was
unexpectedly attacked by his own wife; she knew he was not expecting the
attack so she took advantage of it to commit the crime.
It is necessary to clarify why acid throwing is harmful as well as what it
can do to its victims, the Supreme Court of India described its physical effects:
Acids are corrosive substances that will cause visible necrosis (death) of
human skin tissue and will even corrode a metal in higher concentration (P.9).
Not even by knowing its effects, the pain experienced can be imagined when it
comes to the burns caused by an acid, it can handicap the person it is thrown
on, human skin is not as resistant as metal so it is easily damaged, after
destroying tissues acid can get through to dissolve organs and bones, it can
even cause death. A well-known case is Fakhra Younus, the following details
were given by a reporter called Kerry McQueeney (2012):
The attack, which took place in front of Younus then five-year-old
son, left her unable to breath and fighting for life. Her nose was almost
completely melted and she underwent 39 separate surgical procedures
over the last ten years to repair her disfigured face. The attack also
burned off her hair, fused her lips, blinded her in one eye, destroyed her
left ear and melted her breasts. (P.1)
Acid attacks also involve psychological effects. Victims tend to feel that
their lives are over and many of them commit suicide due to the disfiguration
caused by acid. Peoples faces are similar to monsters; sometimes they do not
even look like human beings. It is not a vanity problem; as victims are usually
attacked by their own husbands, wives and even sons, being attacked by
someone so close can provoke deep despair, weakness and depression. To
give a specific example: Sheikh Mohammad Nomans case: the pain of the
acid is still there, but my heart aches too because I loved her and this is what
she gave to me in return. (P.1) Being attacked with acid does not only imply
being physically damaged, but also psychologically. It is even thought when
acid is thrown on a person that the person is a woman, however, men can be
victims, too. According to CASC Statistics (ND): In Cambodia the incidence of
reported attacks against men is commensurate to the levels of reported attacks
against women (Appendix two), by knowing the statistics, it can be taken into
consideration that acid violence is not only against women but men as well,
which could lead to the foregone thought acid attacks are not a gender equality
problem, nevertheless, why it is considered as a gender equality problem is the
underlying reason of attacking a woman, usually, because of the inner belief
that women are property of their husbands and not persons as such.
On the other hand, when men are attacked the reason can vary, as it can
be analyzed when Robert St. Stephe (2014) reported: Margaret Boyle of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania threw acid on the face of her son-in-law in 1865 as
he was not the man she had chosen for her daughter (P.1). Taking into
account the situation, the underlying reason can be analyzed: he was not
attacked because he was a man, but because his mother-in-law wanted to
control her daughters life, when she realized it would not be possible, she was
not mentally able to deal with the rage and strong emotions. Lack of rage
control can lead to this situation, according to the person who cannot control his
or her emotions a woman or a man will be victimized. It was written in Living in
the shadows by Licadho (2003): Emotions such as jealousy, anger, and
revenge appear to be strong motivational factors. One of the most prevalent
reasons cited for attacks is revenge for sexual infidelity; the wife of an unfaithful
husband, assaulting his mistress or, in some cases, the mistress attacking the
wife of her lover (P.2).
There is something interesting about acid attacks on men. Why is it not
usually broadcast when a man is attacked? People may think a small amount of
men are attacked every year, and so that they are exceptions, but statistics
show a different situation when Sharon Benhs report (2014) is read: Forty
percent of the acid attacks victims in Pakistan are men or boys (P.1). First of
all, taking into account acid attacks as a gender equality problem is a
controversy because many feminists claim that men are the ones to blame, so
if a girl is attacked, it is done by a man, but if a man is attacked, it is because he
did something wrong. Second, the media feel the pressure of society, so
women are still considered the weak sex regarding that situation: why do
feminist allow it? It is because feminist organizations get money in order to help
female victims, if there were found that men are victims in high amount as
women, people would not think that it is a gender equality problem, then
feminist ONGs would get less money.
To summarize, acid attacks are carried out by any person who has a mental
illness such as jealousy, lack of rage control or just for revenge. Classifying acid
attacks as a gender equality problem may be done according to the underlying
reasons of the attack, however, it is important to take into account that anybody
can be a victim, people need to be aware of how important recognizing it as a
crime more than a discrimination act is. I think when it comes to acid attacks
women and men are attackers and victims, there should be equality and respect
for both. Unfortunately, recognizing men as victims in high amount as women is
a thorny debate which can only be overcome by forgetting about gender
differences and comprehending that we all are human beings; same needs,
same rights.

Luis Mario Viaa Patrn.