Politicians need to decide whether new legislation is required to deal with this crime before it spreads.
The acid attack on model Katie Piper in 2008 was the first high profile assault of acid violence in the UK.
Earlier this month, a fifteen year old boy was charged with an acid attack on a woman in Romford, London, and last year model Naomi Oni (pictured) suffered an acid assault also in East London.
At the time of the attack on Piper, this type of crime was almost unheard of in the UK. Now, alarmingly, they appear to be on the increase.
Internationally, most victims are young women in countries such as Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Uganda, who are assaulted as revenge or punishment.
Children are also frequently victims, targeted as a mechanism of controlling and hurting their mothers.
The effect is to inflict lifelong physical and psychological injury, impacting women’s future capacity for work, and to form relationships, and have partners and families of their own.
Fortunately victims in wealthy Western countries often have the resources to secure treatment for their physical and psychological injuries. However women in poorer countries often face total incapacity.
Apart from the impact on a woman’s looks, injuries frequently include visual impairment or blindness or loss of eyes. The acid, thrown into the face, is frequently swallowed causing severe oral, and throat injuries, as well as damage to hands, causing disability.
Although the trend of acid violence is increasing in the UK, there is no clear pattern of the context in which it occurs, as there is internationally. The international contexts for these attacks are family, domestic, and relationship factors, as seen in the case of Katie Piper.
There is a case for more research due to the devastating impact of this crime on individuals and families. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust published a report by barrister Shabina Begum, on the international picture for acid violence, calling for the UK to conduct large scale research to understand the emergence of this crime in the UK.
There is a need to identify high risk victims in the UK, as it is recognized that some instances of this crime are going unreported in the UK. Identification of the source of the acid and ensure steps are taken to reduce the availability of corrosive substances.
The recent episodes involving young British women resist inevitable conclusions that this is a ‘minority’ problem, rather than a concern for the mainstream population.
In addition to research, politicians need to decide whether new legislation is required to deal with this crime before it spreads.
Source: NHS Information Centre
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
3 Responses to “Measures must be introduced to curb the spread of acid attacks on young women”
SadButMadLad
Could you post the link to the NHS Information Centre’s database please. I assume it’s from this website (http://www.hscic.gov.uk) but I can’t find the data.
Herbert
Secular education and legal access to handguns will go a long way to solving this problem in the UK. Might help with all of the other violent crime types – never know if you are going to get shot when attempting this kind of violence.
Hilary Koe
Because, obviously someone will be expecting the attack, and gave a gun ready at all times? Please don’t use the rise if this particular horrific crime as an excuse for a general demand for guns, as that would lead to even greater problems.