|
London:
Using acid as a weapon to disfigure women has become a worrying
trend in Pakistan. But now the tables seem to have been turned on
them and Pakistani men are reported to be facing the brunt of
"revenge attacks" launched by women.
Over 8,500 acid attacks, forced marriages and other forms of
violence against women were reported in Pakistan in 2011, the
Daily Mail reported citing the Aurat Foundation, a women's rights
organisation.
The government introduced new laws last year criminalising acid
attacks. Convicts would serve at least 14 years in jail.
Pakistan - a traditionally patriarchal society - has seen a sudden
and mysterious rise in acid attacks being carried out against men
by women, the daily said.
One 24-year-old victim, Sheikh Mohammad Noman, said his wife threw
acid on him in a "revenge attack" when he refused to give her a
divorce after she left him for her ex-husband, CNN reported.
"She said, 'I've got something for you, please forgive me'. As
soon as I turned around shew threw acid on me. The pain of the
acid is still there, but my heart aches too because I loved her
and this is what she give to me in return," the man said.
The report said the rise in attacks on men emerged following the
suicide of a Pakistani woman who was scarred in an acid attack
more than a decade ago.
In March, 33-year-old former dancing girl Fakhra Younus leapt to
her death from a sixth floor building in Rome, 12 years after the
attack.
In May 2000, her ex-husband Bilal Khar was accused of entering her
mother's house and pouring acid over Younus's face as she slept.
Her nose was almost completely melted and she underwent 39
surgical procedures over the last 10 years to repair her
disfigured face. The attack also burned her hair, fused her lips,
blinded her in one eye, damaged her left ear and melted her
breasts.
The mother-of-one moved to Rome after the incident to continue her
treatment.
But she took her own life March 17, and left a message saying she
was committing suicide over the silence of the authorities on the
atrocities.
Bilal Khar - a former MP - was arrested in 2002 and charged with
attempted murder. He was released on bail after five months.
Though Khar, the son of a wealthy Pakistani governor, was
eventually cleared of the attack, the report said many people
believe he could have used his family connections to escape
conviction.
This year, Pakistani woman filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy became
the first from her country to win an Oscar for the best
documentary for "Saving Face", about acid attacks on women.
The film chronicled the work of acclaimed British-Pakistani
plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad. He travels around the country to
perform reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid violence. The
documentary was filmed entirely in Pakistan, BBC reported.
|
Comments
|
Quick links