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Tat Marina, Finding Face
As most of our supporters will be aware, a documentary will be aired on Channel 4, Thursday 29th October, regarding the story of Katie Piper was attacked by acid in London.
This story brings to mind numerous acid survivors who have faced similar sufferings to Katie. My Beautiful Face is not the only documentary out there at the moment. If you interested to learn more you may be interested to know of ‘Finding Face’ – a documentary film detailing the story of Tat Marina who was attacked by acid in Cambodia in 1999 at the age of 16. Unlike the justice brought to Katie Piper’s attackers (life imprisonment within a year of the attack), no charges have been filed in the case of Tat Marina. No justice has been met.
Directed and produced by Skye Fitzgerald and Patti Duncan, the film is currently doing its rounds in the United States, and we hope the team can find some time in their diary to eventually bring it to this side of the pond.
One aspect of the documentary details the alarming increase of attacks which followed after Marina was attacked. Given that no one was prosecuted for the attack, many people felt safe in the knowledge that if they were to carry out an attack, their actions wouldn’t be likely to equate to any serious penalty, if any penalty at all.
It has been identified that lengthy judicial procedures as well as the political shelter of criminals are some of the factors contributing to the increase in incidence of acid burns victims in Cambodia. The Cambodian opposition leader Mu Sochua recently spoke at Berkeley University, United States, about her concerns of returning to her home country of Cambodia since she was branded as a “traitor” to the Cambodian government (a serious charge which can result in a prison sentence of 20 years to life in Cambodian law). Mu Sochua in her talk stated, “I am going home facing jail… I have no fear of jail, but I fear something else which I can’t tell you – not the bullets, but the acid attack. This is very common”. This claim speaks volumes of the threat and danger of unregulated use and sale of acid coupled with weak law enforcement mechanisms can behold upon a people.
Fighting for judicial reform is a complex challenge in Cambodia if you take individuals like Mu Sochua who state boldly the high threat that exists and is clearly apparent. Acid attacks continue to occur in Cambodia, a form of assault with serious medical and social life altering consequences for the victim. Unlike Katie Piper, most of the victims never get the justice they so rightly should be awarded. Ten years on, Tat Marina is still fighting for hers.
Posted on October 27th 2009 by Test Member in Blog
