Acid survivors and Facebook updates

How can I not love Orya Maqbool Jan, civil servant turned columnist and media celebrity, who makes me feel that Pakistan is not only equal to the somewhat developed but totally decadent West, but in fact a notch above it. He has brought so many conspiracies to light that there is hardly anything left to know. The only thing we need to do is to bask in our own glory, celebrate our own greatness and sing the epics of our glorious past. Who will not, tell me, who will not love it. He is the one who brought to light the conspiracy behind the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Malala Yousafzai, “who was used by the murderous Western rulers to blacken our faces”.

Now the wise man has uncovered the conspiracy behind another poisoned chalice: the two Oscars awarded to Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. He has told the nation that the purpose behind the Oscars is to malign the Islamic Republic, and that the first Oscar, awarded to a documentary on acid crimes in Pakistan, had two specific objectives: first, to show the Western world that cruelty and barbarism is peculiar to Muslims alone and secondly, to convince Pakistanis that they are a cruel lot, while all other countries are havens of peace and tranquillity.

I don’t know much about the Academy Awards, but I am fully convinced that the academy not only harbours conspiracies against Muslim lands, but also commits treachery against their own country. For example, in 1991 they awarded seven Oscars to ‘Dances with Wolves’, a movie that highlights the cruelty of white settlers against Native Americans. More recently, in 2014, ‘12 years a slave’ – a movie focusing on the plight of black slaves in 19th century US, was given three Oscars. It is not without a reason that America is fast losing its pre-eminence as a superpower. Unfortunately, there is no Orya Maqbool in the US to inform them of how such treachery is eroding their nation internally.

On March 10, Orya Maqbool made a Facebook update that made every ghairatmand in Pakistani dance with joy, and it went viral in no time. It stated: “This year, 523 women became victims to acid attacks in USA. Unfortunately, there is no Sharmeen Obaid there. In my country there is one who maligns me.” Just as celebrations were in full swing, some traitors started questioning the source of this information. Rather than adding a reference to his statement, he went ahead and exposed the whole conspiracy in a column and presented the figures of acid attacks in Britain, which is supposed to be more civilised than the US. We now know that there were 925 acid attack in Britain during the last decade.

With my simple mind, I fail to understand how these figures, even if verified, can provide any consolation to our daughters, whose lives have been ravaged through such crimes. An acid survivor faces perpetual psychological torment, permanent social stigma, ruinous economic loss, an end to marriage prospects, and torturous pain that does not go away for years after the attack. The survivors often speak of living in hell. Can we comfort ourselves with the fact that in some other countries there are brutes who can beat our criminals at this barbarity?

Anyone who can find his/her way around Google knows that acid crimes, like other crimes against women, are not purely a Pakistani phenomenon. While Colombia, Uganda, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are amongst the most affected countries, acid crimes are also reported in Britain, the US and many other countries. Unfortunately, like many every other negative indicators, South Asia is on the top and, till some years ago, the highest number of acid crimes were reported from Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, no less than 3,661 people have faced acid attacks in a decade, but this is only half of the story. In 2002, 496 individuals were attacked while in 2015, this figure had come down to 74–still a high number, but far less than what it used to be.

In 2002, Bangladeshis came up with a set of laws that has become a model of best practice for other countries. Under the new legislation, acid attack was made a cognisable, non-compoundable and non-bailable offence, carrying the death penalty as the maximum punishment. Separate tribunals were set up to complete the whole trial within 90 days of receiving the first written instruction. Once a tribunal starts hearing a case, the hearing continues every working day until it finishes. Investigation of any crime under this act must be completed by a police officer within thirty days of being informed or being ordered by a magistrate. If someone assists/helps to commit the crime of acid throwing, he/she also receives the same punishment/penalty as the perpetrator.

Other important features of the laws include: (i) the establishment of a National Acid Control Council Fund; (ii) the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for victims of acid crimes; (iii) treatment for victims of acid crimes; (iv) provision of legal aid for victims of acid crimes; (v) locking up shops to prevent the sale of acid and banning transport engaged in carrying acid; (vi) temporary cancellation of acid selling licenses and judgment in the absence of the criminal. No wonder that the incidence of acid crimes in Bangladesh has dropped by 70 percent.

In Pakistan, 1231 cases were reported in the last six years (2007-2015). However, we have seen a sudden drop in acid violence in 2015, when such cases dropped to 69 and if this trend continues, we can congratulate both the government and non-government activists for stemming the tide.

Till 2011, acid throwing was not a specific offence and it was extremely easy for a perpetrator to get bail and remain unpunished. Due to this impunity, many criminals preferred acid throwing to other forms of attack or murder. In 2011, parliament criminalised acid violence, setting a 1 million fine and 14 years to life imprisonment as the punishment. The offence was made non-boilable and non-compoundable i.e. it cannot be settled through a mutual compromise.

In Punjab, due to a verdict of the Lahore High Court in 2012, acid violence now falls under the jurisdiction of the Anti-Terrorist Courts (ATCs) and harsh punishments awarded in a timely manner are fast becoming the norm. However, unlike Bangladesh, these laws are not backed with sufficient budget, effective institutions or any material, medical and social support for victims. There are thousands of acid survivors in the country and it is their right to get support from the state that failed to protect them.

These small success have been made possible due to a relentless struggle by some civil society organisations, particularly the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), ably led by a French-born Pakistani, Ms Valerie Khan. She has not sought or received any foreign award, or even a national one, which she very well deserves. The ASF has done much of the research and lobbying for laws, and has tried to provide medical, social and psychological support to acid-crime survivors.

Americans and Norwegians may have their own conspiracies, but in Pakistan there is certainly an indigenous conspiracy that can turn many things upside down – a conspiracy to ensure equal rights for women. How about becoming a part of this conspiracy?

The writer is a social anthropologist and

development professional.

Email: zaighamkhan@yahoo.com

Twitter: @zaighamkhan

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