India’s Acid test

Acid attack: The crime of our times

 individuality

In a culture of
individuality
and identity,
an acid attack
attempts to
destroy
precisely
these.

a life scarred

In a culture of choice,
all choices are
removed.
The attacker, in a few
seconds, agonizes the
victim for a lifetime.
 easy

acid

In a culture of
consumption,
these
weapons are
the easiest to
get.

From the
streets of
London and
getting worse by the day
Paris to the
sprawling
towns of
India, acid
attacks
happen.

Acid attacks in India are up by 20% from 2014 to 2017.

The Human Rights Law Network estimates that India has atleast 1,000 cases/year
 justice
In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the
government to limit over-the-counter acid
sales to people over 18yrs who provided
identification and a reason for the
purchase.

The court ruled acid attacks a non-bailable

offence, and pay about $6,000 to each
survivor within 15 days.

who cares ?
Six years on, despite the law,
even a child can buy a litre of
acid easily for less than INR 20.
It continues to be used to clean
bathrooms, tiles and jewellery.

Unfortunately, little has changed on ground due to poor implementation of law.

TOXIC MASCULINITY
Women are attacked
TO BE BLAMED
She’s left to deal
In India’s patriarchal
by husbands, lovers, society, destroying a with official
employers, jealous woman’s appearance apathy and
colleagues and even means destroying societal
landlords her access to indifference
marriage, resources,
jobs and education

it was time to fight for

implementation of
the law

Our campaign sought to push

for banning acid sales in retail
markets, and sensitizing men to
the effects of gender violence.
India has the world’s highest number of
acid attacks, but the worst conviction
rates. What’s worse is that the victim
lives with the consequences, physical
and psychological, while the narcissistic
perpetrator feels powerful.
 Dainik Jagran took up the case in Bhagalpur, a small
town which witnessed its first acid attack crime. We
had to seize this moment, and make it a defining
one – and fight it with a new symbol…that of
disgust. We mobilized the power of communities to
get justice

The newspaper’s pages were abuzz asking the city to stand in solidarity and push the
administration to ban the sale of acid. We uncovered the truth behind the murky
trade. The campaign aimed to champion what makes Dainik Jagran the powerful
force it is when it comes to standing up for citizen rights.
We asked the head of administration to act:
We published a letter in the newspaper addressed to the District Collector. An
unprecedented 9000 letters demanding action were given to District Collector

Dear District Magistrate Sir

I’m a daughter of this city, but I’m also a

daughter of India. My goal is contribute to
society and create a better tomorrow for all.

Every morning I leave my home with

optimism. With every step, I feel more
confident.

I want to study, to play, to compete …and

want to live the life I deserve. But this is
possible only if I feel safe.

Recently, there was an acid attack on a girl

in the city. I’m scared now. I request if you
could please implement the Supreme
Court’s order banning sale of acid.

Thanking you
A Daughter of the City

We asked the head of administration to act:

An unprecedented 9000 letters demanding action were given to District Collector
Letter-drop boxes were created across the city
We took the Law for everyone to see
At 500 retail shops, we put posters mentioning the law regarding sale of acid. This
was to remind citizens that there’s a law on acid sale, but wasn’t being implemented.

We got Communities to Rally

5000 people marched on the streets demanding a ban of acid sale.
We organized local Parliaments & involved Civil Society
12 local parliaments were conducted to capitalize on the simmering tension on the
issue, and get citizens to demand action.
Enlisted the support of 22 Civil Society and NGOs to rally for the cause. They brought thousands
of their networks to apply pressure on the administration to act

We organized a Candle March

Expressing horror and disgust, a candle march mourned the death of the girl
Campaign Awareness
We ran radio spots, did outdoor billboards, print advertising, and a social campaign on
hyper-local Whatsapp groups.

We handed over 9000 letters from the community to the District Magistrate
And the administration was compelled to act
Compelled by community pressure, the administration conducted raids across the
city and put an end to illegal sale of acid in 50 places

This conversation
was important
By bringing the incident and
the consequences of gender
violence into public
conversation, we sensitized
society to the horrors of a
toxic masculinity.
My spirit is acid-proof
On a full moon’s indigo night
She walks in grace, illuminating every sight,
Her eyes reflected all stars in the heaven combined
Her tresses as dark as the charcoal night,
Such was her magnetic allure,
Poems and ballads were all in her name
The alchemy of her beauty left no one sane
But on one moonless night,
Jealousy burned in a mortal’s sight
For the beauty she held, he wanted to own
As he vowed to make her the object of scorn,
The liquid fire burned through her skin,
Melting away her beauty but not her soul
She found her strength in that pain
Rose above the mortal disdain,
Her eyes still shone the fierce light
From the inferno building deep inside,
She embraced her scars like an ardent warrior
The kind she only saw in biased fairy tales,
But beauty isn’t always skin deep
It’s a whirlpool of chaos and harmony
It’s just not a face or a body, it’s a moral anatomy

India’s Acid test