There are numerous examples of acid attacks throughout history, especially in communities where honor killings are common. Generally, acid attacks have been used against women as a form of intimidation, or revenge for refusals of sexual advances or marriage proposals. During the last few decades women in Bangladesh have suffered from the highest number of acid attacks. Even though the highest number of incidents has occurred in South Asia , analysts are careful to stress that acid throwing is not limited to a specific geographical region, culture or religion.
Honor
In 2004, an Iranian man, identified by court documents as Majid, stalked miss Ameneh Bahrami and then threw acid on her for refusing to marry him. The attack that left her blind and horribly disfigured was followed by an emotional trial and exploration of Islamic law. Eventually, a three-judge panel found Majid guilty of criminal assault and ruled on November 26, 2008 that Majid should be blinded with acid and forced to pay miss Bahrami for the injuries to her face, hands and body.
During the summer of 2008 Esperanza Miranda, a social worker in Chicago, was attacked with acid and permanently disfigured. Three women are believed to have arranged the attack and criminal charges were announced against them on Tuesday, December 2, 2008. Ofelia Garcia, Maria Olvera-Garcia, and Linda Dirzo, were each indicted on one count of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of heinous battery, two counts of armed robbery, six counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and three counts of aggravated battery. The prosecutor told reporters that Ofelia Garcia had planned the assault “because she believed the victim was seeing her ex-husband”.
Social Politics
On November 12, 2008, several schoolgirls in Afghanistan were the victims of an acid attack that blinded two girls and left several disfigured. Men riding motorbikes used water pistols to spray acid on the girls and their teachers. Local and international outrage then forced the Afghan government to conduct an intense investigation that culminated with the arrest of ten men believed to be Taliban extremists. Analysts believe that the attack was a warning by the Taliban against the education of women in Afghanistan.
Social Isolation
Vitriolage is intended to completely dissolve not only the physical body of the victim, but also the victim´s social presence. Monira Rahman of the Acid Survivors Foundation in Dhaka, Bangladesh, states that: “Acid attacks devastate the lives of the victims who are either physically disabled or doomed to a life of seclusion, passing days in agony, shut off from the rest of the world”. Many international observers are calling for a global increase in social activism, education, and the effective prosecution of perpetrators in order to end these attacks.
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