Anuja Kapur (Renowned Criminal Psychologist) attended the 16th International Symposium of the World Society of Victimology 2018
16th International Symposium of the World Society of Victimology 2018 in Hong Kong organized a conference from 9th- 15th June, 2018 and invited Mrs. Anuja Kapur from India to share her perspective on “Acid attack laws in India.”
As per Mrs. Kapur, “Till recently there was not any specific law in India to deal with the cases of acid attack. It was only on 3rd of August, 2013 that specific laws were put into action. Survivors/Victims of acid attack have to or are rather forced to work with the ineffective enforcement of the laws, and compensation and rehabilitation schemes which never seem to cover the victims, as well as government apathy is null as described by Mrs Anuja Kapur in her slide show.”
In order to curb the misuse of acid simple but necessary steps need to be taken as mentioned by Anuja Kapur in her speech:
- Disallow over-the-counter purchase of acid until the vendor has registered the necessary details of the buyer such as name, address, quantity sold and purpose of buying acid.
- Prohibiting the sale of acid to anyone below 18 years of age.
- Requiring all vendors to declare their acid stocks to the local government authority within 15 days.
Mrs Anuja Kapur also stated that “India still categorizes acid attack as a grievous hurt instead of a heinous crime, dolling out penalties which are lenient and jail terms which are bailable.” The government is not doing its bit necessary to avoid such horrendous acts, it has to constantly be pressured and reminded by activists to do their job effectively. The government should in fact implement such laws that seeking justice in such a difficult state would be a straight forward matter rather than second victimization. Some factors regarding the above issue are
- Job opportunities for the victims/survivors
- Unbaised laws no matter what the caste creed sex or religion
- Protocol to be followed in such times should not be tiresome, expensive and questionable
- Fast track courts for a fair and just trial, moving towards a high conviction rate
- Implementing .
- Effective and timely Compensation and rehabilitation schemes for the survivors/victims in order to assist them in their difficult times.
An acid attack has a long-lasting negative effect on the life of the victim/survivor who faces everlasting anguish, eternal damage and other problems for the rest of her life. Providing these victims /survivors with justice is the least that can be done for them.
