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Subject: Bangladesh - Acid Violence - Statistics +
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BANGLADESH - ACID VIOLENCE - ACID
SURVIVORS FOUNDATION
Acid
Survivors Foundation (ASF) has been working on acid violence issues since 1999. The
ultimate goal of the organization is to eliminate acid violence from
Bangladesh. However, at present there is an acid attack every two days. Victims
of acid violence need physical reconstruction, support for reintegration into
mainstream society and legal assistance. Therefore, ASF ensures the best
possible medical, legal and social reintegration support to the acid survivors.
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WHAT IS ACID
VIOLENCE?
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Acid violence is a particularly
vicious and damaging form of violence in Bangladesh where acid is thrown in
people’s faces. The overwhelming majority of the victims are women, and
many of them are below 18 years of age. The victims are attacked for many
reasons. In some cases it is because a young girl or women has spurned the
sexual advances of a male or either she or her parents have rejected a
proposal of marriage. Recently, however, there have been acid attacks on
children, older women and also men. These attacks are often the result of
family and land dispute, dowry demands or a desire for revenge.
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CONSEQUENCES OF ACID
VIOLENCE
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Nitric or sulphuric acid has a catastrophic effect on
human flesh. It causes the skin tissue to melt, often exposing the bones
below the flesh, sometimes even dissolving the bone. When acid attacks
the eyes, it damages them permanently. Many acid attacks survivors have
lost the use of one or both eyes.
But the scars left by acid are not just skin deep. In
addition to the inevitable psychological trauma, some survivors also face
social isolation and ostracism that further damage their self-esteem and
seriously undermine their professional and personal futures. Women who
have survived acid attacks have great difficulty in finding work and, if
unmarried (as many victims tend to be), have very little chance of ever
getting married. In a country like Bangladesh this has serious social and
economic consequences.
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STATISTICS - ACID VIOLENCE IN
BANGLADESH
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Acid
Attack Statistics (Jan-July '08)
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Month
|
Number
of incidents
|
Number
of survivors
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January
|
12
|
15
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February
|
07
|
10
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March
|
11
|
14
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April
|
12
|
16
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May
|
10
|
12
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June
|
16
|
19
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July
|
13
|
19
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August
|
16
|
23
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September
|
15
|
20
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Total
|
112
|
148
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Acid
Attack Statistics (May ’99 – Dec ‘07)
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Period
|
Number
of incidents
|
Number
of survivors
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1999
(May - Dec)
|
115
|
138
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2000
|
174
|
234
|
2001
|
252
|
349
|
2002
|
367
|
490
|
2003
|
335
|
411
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2004
|
266
|
325
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2005
|
217
|
272
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2006
|
180
|
221
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2007
|
155
|
192
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Total:
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2061
|
2632
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Acid attack statistics - gender perspective
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Motivation
of acid attack - 2007
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Reasons
|
Man
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Woman
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Children
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Dowry
|
-
|
8
|
2
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Family
rlated dispute
|
3
|
6
|
-
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Land/property/money
dispute
|
30
|
53
|
15
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Marital
dispute
|
3
|
18
|
3
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Refusal/rejection
of love/marriage/sex
|
2
|
7
|
7
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Not
know
|
5
|
4
|
1
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Others
|
3
|
14
|
9
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Total:
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46
|
110
|
37
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Age group of acid survivors - 2007
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Age group
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Men
|
Women
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Under 18
|
14
|
23
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19-24
|
2
|
23
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25-34
|
14
|
39
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35-44
|
13
|
34
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45-54
|
13
|
09
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Over 55
|
04
|
05
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Not known
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-
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-
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Total:
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60
|
133
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Grand
Total:
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193
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Note:
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*
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The statistics mentioned here are recorded by ASF through both
primary and secondary data source i.e., daily news medias, local NGOs, Journalists,
Individuals and the survivors who comes directly to ASF.
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*
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Please mention the source: Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF)
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*
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Some statistical information may vary from earlier publication
of ASF because information is received long after the occurrence.
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