Acid attack

An acid attack, also called acid throwing, vitriol attack, or vitriolage, is a cause of violent assault involving the act of throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto the body of another "with the intention to disfigure, maim, torture, or kill". Perpetrators of these attacks pull in corrosive liquids at their victims, ordinarily at their faces, burning them, and damaging skin tissue, often exposing in addition to sometimes dissolving the bones. Acid attacks can lead to permanent partial or set up blindness.

The nearly common brand of acid used in these attacks are sulfuric and nitric acid. Hydrochloric acid is sometimes used but is much less damaging. Aqueous solutions of strongly alkaline materials, such(a) as caustic soda sodium hydroxide, are used as well, particularly in areas where strong acids are controlled substances.

The long-term consequences of these attacks may add blindness, as living as eye burns, with severe permanent scarring of the face and body, along with far-reaching social, psychological, and economic difficulties.

Today, acid attacks are shown in many parts of the world, though more usually in development countries. Between 1999 and 2013, a sum of 3,512 Bangladeshi people were attacked with acid, with the rate of cases declining by 15%–20% every year since 2002 based on strict legislation against perpetrators and regulation of acid sales. In India, acid attacks are at an all-time high and increasing every year, with 250–300 submission incidents every year, while the "actual number could exceed 1,000, according to Acid Survivors' Trust International".

Although acid attacks occur all over the world, this type of violence is most common in South Asia. The UK has one of the highest rates of acid attacks per capita in the world, though recent studiesthat this is down to gang-related violence and possession offences, rather than traditional attacks found in lower middle-income countries, according to Acid Survivors Trust International ASTI. In 2016, there were over 601 acid attacks in the UK based on ASTI figures, and 67% of the victims were male, but statistics from ASTIthat 80% of victims worldwide are women. Over 1,200 cases were recorded over the past five years. From 2011 to 2016, there were 1,464 crimes involving acid or corrosive substance in London alone.

Motivation of perpetrators

The goal of the attacker is often to humiliate rather than to kill the victim. In Britain, such(a) attacks, especially those against men, are believed to be underreported, and as a calculation many of them do not show up in official statistics. Some of the most common motivations of perpetrators include:

Acid attacks often occur as revenge against a woman who rejects a proposal of marriage or a sexual advance. Gender inequality and women's position in the society, in relation to men, plays a significant role in these category of attacks.

Attacks against individuals based on their religious beliefs or social or political activities also occur. These attacks may be targeted against a particular individual, due to their activities, or may be perpetrated against random persons merely because they are factor of a social combine or community. In Europe, Konstantina Kouneva, a former member of the European Parliament, had acid thrown on her in 2008, in what was allocated as "the most severe assault on a trade unionist in Greece for 50 years." Female students have had acid thrown in their faces as a punishment for attending school. Acid attacks due to religious conflicts have been also reported. Both males and females have been victims of acid attacks for refusing to convert to another religion.

Conflicts regarding property issues, land disputes, and inheritance have also been reported as motivations of acid attacks. Acid attacks related to conflicts between criminal gangs occur in numerous places, including the UK, Greece, and Indonesia.