Afghanistan passed the Elimination of Violence against Women Law (EVAW) in 2009. It is the first law in Afghanistan to criminalise violence against women, including acid attacks. According to this law, the attacker gets a punishment of at least 10 years of imprisonment and at most life imprisonment. Pakistan is yet to pass the ‘Acid Throwing and Burn Crime Bill 2012’ which was drafted after Fakhra Younas, an acid attack victim from Karachi, committed suicide. The new bill stipulates a minimum sentence of 14 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and fines up to 1 million Pakistani rupees ($10,200). Activists are campaigning to include compensation to survivors. In February, Saving Face, a documentary by a Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an Academy Award. The film sheds light on the lives of acid-attack survivors in Pakistan. Bangladesh: The Acid Crime Control Act 2002 imposes death penalty on the culprits. A decrease in the number of acid attacks has been witnessed ever since the act came into being. The Acid Crime Prevention Act 2002 regulates the sales of acid across the country. Cambodia: Acid control law-adopted in December 2011. Not only women, but cases of acid attacks on men are equally high in the country. Uganda has witnessed a high number of acid attacks, amongst African countries. As such there is no specific law to stop acid attacks in Uganda, but it has been criminalised under Penal Code Act Cap 120. HT
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 22:42:01 +0000