WUNRN
CAMBODIA - RECLAIMING LIFE AFTER
ACID ATTACKS
a other burn survivors,
18 November 2011 - A cook in the Cambodian city Siem
Reap, Chhean was compelled to take action against her sister’s tyrannical
brother-in-law when in 2008 he sold his two-year-old daughter to a trafficking
ring so he could buy a new motorbike. Chhean, a widow and sole provider for her
four children, urged her sister Baen to file a law suit and openly demanded
that her brother-in-law get the two year old back. Instead, her brother-in-law
threatened Chean’s life. That threat turned real one day when he drove by on
his motorbike while Chhean was working and threw acid on her. It burned her
face, eyes, shoulders, left hand and the left side of her back.
Another woman, Ponleu experienced the same form of
violence. At 18 she married an older man who was emotionally and physically
abusive. Ponleu endured his abuse and gave birth to a daughter, before she
gathered the strength to ask for a divorce. The man doused Ponleu with gasoline
and lit her on fire, in front of their three-year-old daughter.
In
Chhean and Ponleu, however, later found support through the Cambodian Acid
Survivors Charity (CASC) — which receives support under the umbrella
organization Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI). A UN Trust Fund to End
Violence against Women grantee,
Ponleu showing her wedding picture. (Photo credit: UN
Women/Phil Borges)
The only organization in
Chhean now crochets bags, purses and backpacks, which
CASC helps her sell. Ponleu has become a seamstress and works for CASC as an
assistant pressure garment tailor. She sews hospital scrubs and regularly gets
orders from hospitals around the area. Through CASC, she has also educational
support for her daughter.
At the national level, CASC has contributed to draft legislation to regulate
the sale of acid and to provide harsher criminal sentences to perpetrators.
There is hope that the draft will be signed into law — the first of its kind in
Despite the scars, Chhean and Ponleu continue to build
their confidence as survivors and help those around them. Chhean has become a
powerful support to survivors of burn violence, accompanying them to court in
their battles for justice. Although Ponleu’s husband fled after attacking her
and has not been found, she is committed to supporting her family, excelling at
her job and being a role model for other survivors.
A UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women grantee,
The Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) focuses on combating acid burns
violence at the international level.