The Acid Survivors Network was formed in 2006 in
Sirajganj, Bangladesh. It offers legal aid and medical assistance to women who
have been victims of acid attacks and helps them cope with stigma in the
community.
Seventeen-year-old
Neela Khatunis is one of more than 2,700 victims of acid attacks in Bangladesh
over the past 10 years. 'My husband was angry ... because he claimed a dowry
but my family couldn’t provide one,' she says. 'His plan was to sell me in
Saudi Arabia – when I refused he threw acid on me then he fled.'
Photograph:
Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid