Acid Violence-What is it?
Acid violence is a particularly outrageous form of torture which involves throwing corrosive acid at the victims’ faces. This not only causes face disfiguration but also has a catastrophic effect on the victims’ live. It usually occurs as one of the worst form of domestic violence and is most often directed against women, but children are often collateral damage and men may also be among the victims. The effects of acid violence include serious physical harm (loss of eyes and limbs, corrosion of organs, and subsequent infections such as septicemia and gangrene). Acid survivors are disfigured for life. In addition to the inevitable psychological trauma, survivors also face social isolation and ostracism that further damage their self-esteem and seriously undermine their professional and personal future.
Acid Survivors Foundation-Pakistan- Who are we?
Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) Pakistan was founded in 2006 with the support of a UK-based organisation: Acid Survivors Trust International to support survivors of acid attacks in Pakistan. ASF-Pak provides medical, psychosocial and legal support to the victims of acid attacks to ensure physical reconstruction and reintegration into the mainstream of the society. ASF-Pak also has initiatives to engage the media and overall society in the implementation of prevention activities.
Vision: Pakistan is free of acid violence and all survivors have access to justice and are active, autonomous members of a democratic society.
Mission: ASF-Pak works with partners and stakeholders towards the elimination of acid violence and the protection and promotion of survivors’ human rights, including access to medical, legal, social and economic services, through peaceful and democratic processes.
Goal: Acid violence is eliminated and survivors’ human rights are protected and promoted.
Spectrum of Services
- Providing medical treatment for the acid attacked victims: ASF-Pakistan provides free nursing, surgery, medical follow-up, psychological counseling and rehabilitation to acid torture survivors, most of whom are women and children. ASF-Pak has established a shelter where acid torture survivors can stay while they receive free medical and psychological treatment.
- Social Rehabilitation: According to the patients’ situation (socio-economic assessment is an essential part of ASF-Pakistan notification process) ASF-Pakistan provides basic skills training to acid torture survivors (for example, teaching sewing skills) to help them to become economically independent. ASF-Pak also facilitates the reintegration of survivors into the main educational Pakistani system. By enhancing women’s income earning potential, they are accorded more status in the home and are less likely to be attacked again.
- Advocacy and Lobbying: ASF-Pak intends to reduce and eventually eliminate acid violence in Pakistan while highlighting the broader issue of domestic violence/acid torture as a major breach of human rights and the necessity to promote democratic processes. The organization also raises public awareness regarding acid violence, promoting a social disapproval against it and insisting on the need to guarantee basic human rights such as gender equality, access to justice and health care. ASF-Pak has actively participated in the consultation meetings regarding the Domestic Violence Bill that was passed in August 2009 by the National Assembly.
- Legal Support: ASF-Pak tries to compile all the information relevant to the legal status of each survivor’s case(s) in its data base, so that the issue of acid violence in Pakistan can be accurately portrayed and addressed. ASF-Pak has also helped to arrange for legal support to be provided through a small network of lawyers with a generous commitment to provide legal aid to the victims.
- Capacity Building: ASF provides training for caregivers, psychologists, nursing staff and physiotherapists. It aims at building up the capacity/skills of its own staff and other organizations in Pakistan to enhance the quality of local health services.