KOLKATA: Do you know, worldwide, there are about 1,500 acid attacks annually? In India, according to NCRB, 221 acid attacks were reported in 2022, with the highest number of attacks in Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar and Odisha. To raise awareness and combat the violence of acid attacks, with a strong focus on prevention, rehabilitation and advocacy for survivors, Acid Survivors & Women Welfare Foundation (ASWWF), in collaboration with the West Bengal Federation of United Nations Associations (WEBFUNA) on Wednesday launched their campaign ‘Silence Will Not Protect Women’.
Manish Gupta, IAS (Retd.), Former Member of Parliament, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Former Chief of Air Staff of India and Chancellor of Assam University, and several other dignitaries were present at the launch. “Acid violence is a severe crime against humanity. Besides supporting survivors, we plan to establish a psycho-social burn rehabilitation center for holistic care. We advocate for adequate compensation, medical treatment, rehabilitation and stringent punishment for offenders. We also urge the government to increase the number of skin banks for better treatment of burn victims”, said Madhulika Kanoria, chairperson, ASWWF.