Acid Violence
The damage it causes
Nitric or sulphuric acid has a catastrophic effect on human flesh. Acid will cause the skin tissue to melt, often exposing the bones below the flesh, sometimes even dissolving the bone.
Very often, victims are permanently blinded. Many lose the use of their hands so they can’t work or perform everyday tasks like picking up a baby, making it extremely difficult for survivors to find gainful employment, or live a normal life.
On a day-to-day basis they have limited endurance and must deal with severe itching.
The psychological scars may be less visible but they are just as traumatic. Many victims experience isolation and ostracism. They lose their ability to earn a living, and sometimes even their families. In the developing world women survivors have little chance of ever getting married, condemning them to lives of extreme poverty.
Coming to terms with the trauma of the attack, the permanent scarring and disfigurement, and the loss of social acceptance are some of the biggest challenges a survivor will need to overcome.
However, despite the hardships suffered by these individuals and their family, it is important to stress that survivors can and do rebuild their lives. To assume acid survivors have no future is easy, but wrong. With the opportunity to learn new skills, and given encouragement and social support, survivors are helped to help themselves, to find jobs, and live in peace.
