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Ordeal of Acid Attack Victims– The Forgotten Agony

Acid attack- a term many of us have heard in the news or from our peers, but has it been given enough voice to reach our hearts? The term got a lot of attention when the director, Ms. Meghna Gulzar released a film titled “Chhapaak” on 20th January 2020, inspired by the life of LaxmiAgarwal, an acid attack survivor, who campaigned for the rights of acid attack victims and gained recognition after she filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding the regulation of sale of acid (theprint.in,2020).

One cannot imagine the mental trauma such victims go through, a trauma that continues to haunt their lives. It often leaves an irreversible mark of lasting pain and distress unless adequate mental support is provided to them to help them cope up with it and move towards living a normal and meaningful life.

 The aftermath of such a brutal attack can leave a person with physical, social, mental and psychological scars such as anxiety, depression, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), insomnia, shame, hopelessness and even suicidal ideation(Azam,2014). They might even re-experience the trauma in several ways, such as through intrusive thoughts, dreams, by being reminded of it through their scars, somatisation and ‘body memories’. In such circumstances, there is a dire need for psychological help, care and support which should be provided at all times, whether it is by a professional or by other fellow humans.

Providing psychological support is necessary to inspire the victims and build hope and strength in them to accept and fight against the distress caused. The intervention of a mental health professional is essential for such victims that has to be organised in the steps mentioned below.

Steps to be followed by a professional :

  • Make sure to build enough rapport before starting with the assessment.
  • Be alert and sensitive.
  • Evaluate all post traumatic symptoms and comorbidities.
  • Try to make the victim play an active role in the treatment to instil a sense of self-empowerment in them.
  • A model given by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus ( Richard P.Kluft, Sandra L. Bloom, John D.Kinzie,2000) advocates the following steps :

a. The first stage of treatment should consist of making the person feel safe. Make him/her feel secure, cared for, understood and be empathetic and compassionate.

b. The second stage includes a process of remembrance and mourning.

c. And the final stage consists of reconnection. Here, try to remove the sense of guilt and feeling of being damaged and help the person look forward to a new connection with life.

  • Therapies such as psychotherapy, art therapy, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), stress inoculation training, hypnotherapy can be considered.

It is not only the professional help but the society in which the victim lives for major part of a day that can contribute immensely to their overall rehabilitation in the following ways-

  • Don’t treat them differently or in any “special” manner. They should be assisted in living their lives as before, and too much sympathy can make a person feel uneasy.
  • Give them their space and don’t force them to “move on”.
  • Be alert about any warning signs such as suicidal tendencies, depression, or substance abuse.
  • Motivate the person to do things that they like doing, something as simple as watching the television or reading a book or joining a yoga/meditation class. Encourage them to spend time with people they feel safe and comfortable with or even join a support group.
  • Be a good listener and be there for them.

In order to support them, the least we can do as individuals is to listen and understand. And for people who have lived through such an act of violence, and continue to live it every day, they can find solace in the words of LaxmiAgarwal - "I am not a victim, I am a survivor. The man who attacked me will cover his face, I won't". (Milaap.org, n.d.).


Written by:

Srishti Mishra

Masters in Psychology, IGNOU

Intern, Brain Behaviour Research Foundation of India


References :

1.https://milaap.org/stories/stopacidattacks

2. TREATING THE TRAUMATIZED PATIENT AND VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE by  Richard P.    Kluft,   M.D. Sandra  L. Bloom, M.D. John D. Kinzie, M.D. Published in Bell, C. C. (ed), (2000). Psychiatric Aspects of Violence: Issues in Prevention and Treatment. New Directions in Mental Health Services 86, Summer, pp.79‐102.

3.http://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/eccs2014/ECCS2014_02577.pdf. Causes and Consequences of Acid Attacks on Women: A Case Study of District Lahore, Pakistan.SamraAzam, BahauddinZakariya University Multan–Lahore Campus, Pakistan.The European Conference on Cultural Studies 2014 Official Conference Proceedings.

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