The Acid Survivors & Women Welfare Foundation (ASWWF) organised a symposium on “Eradication of Acid Violence” here on Saturday that was attended by State Commission for Person with Disabilities Chairperson Sulochana Das and State Commission for Women Chairperson Minati Behera.
The ASWWF has been providing support to survivors of acid attack through a network of chapters in India to ensure that they can reintegrate into social mainstream. It has already identified many survivors in Odisha and is working for their welfare.
ASWWF vice-chairman Dr Rahul Verma said, “Acid violence is one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. Besides the various measures adopted for supporting the cause of survivors, there are plans to set up a psycho-social burn-cum-rehabilitation centre to provide holistic care to survivors. The ASWWF is collaborating with various NGOs and organisations engaged in similar work for the advocacy of acid-related causes; including adequate compensation, free or subsidised medical treatment, rehabilitation and exemplary punishment to culprits.”
The ASWWF has identified over 500 acid attack survivors in the country. As per latest government (NCRB) data, the northern region has the highest incidence of acid violence accounting for nearly 44% of the attacks while eastern Region with 27%, western region with 16% and southern region with 13% follow suit.
According to ASWWF Odisha Chapter resident representative TN Panda, the State has recorded a total of 70 cases during the period from 2011 to 2019.
Social activists Namrata Chadha and Nalini Sarma also spoke on the occasion. The meeting was attended by Linkan Subudhi, Arun Verma, Renu Narula, Sudha Sundarajan and four acid attack victims.