Hi
everyone!!
Last
week, I opened the New York Times' website, and in the corner of the page, I
saw the word 'lipstick.' Like Alex and her focus on the horrible War on Women
in South Sudan, I am really interested in issues of women's rights, but when I
opened this web page to see where the video for 'how to get the perfect red
lips' would lead, I was in for a shock.
The
video was made by the group Make Love Not Scars that speaks out against acid
attacks, which mainly occur in south Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh. The video, which has gotten more than 1 million views, features
18-year-old Reshma Bano Qureshi from Northern India whose brother-in-law and
other men attacked her last year. They held her down and poured sulfuric acid
on her face; as a result, Reshma's skin is badly scarred, and she has lost an
eye. In her courageous video, Reshma teaches viewers how to put on makeup, but
she ends with powerful thoughts on the injustice of these attacks, especially
because perpetrators are almost always men who are able to buy concentrated
acid at a market for as much as, or sometimes less than, lipstick.
In
2011, researchers at Cornell University found that attackers are usually men
who have been rejected and are therefore, upset and jealous, or husbands who
are unsatisfied with their wife's dowry. One girl, Bushra, was attacked by her
in-laws as punishment for not paying enough dowry money. She says "my
husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law poured acid on me- my mother-in-law
tied me down from the neck. They didn't take me to the hospital for 10 days and
my face swelled so much it was just a big slab of meat." When Bushra
finally got help, her eyes were burned shut, her nose was gone, and parts of
her ears had melted, leaving her to years of operations.
However,
attacks are becoming more and more common, even though many incidents go
unreported, especially in rural areas. India's Ministry of Home Affairs
reported 309 attacks in 2013, which is higher than before, but Bharat Nayak,
representative for Make Love Not Scars, says the real number is probably
higher, around 1,000 attacks per year. Women and girls are afraid to speak out
against the attacks and gender-related injustice as this leads them to being
targeted for attacks. These horrific stories happen every day, including women
from poorer areas as well as well-educated, wealthy areas.
While
in 2013, the Supreme Court of India ordered that over-the-counter acid sales
are only allowed to people over 18 years old who provide a reason, there has
been little enforcement and virtually no impact as other dangerous materials,
like toilet-cleaning acid are readily available as well. Victims are entitled
to 100,000 rupees within 15 days of an assault and a total of 300,000 rupees,
but many, including Reshma, receive no aid.
As I
was reading about this, I could not believe that this terrible violence was met
with such calm measures and vapid enforcement. Why is there not more outrage?
What are the deeper cultural and social problems, especially involving gender,
that lead to these attacks and the allowance of these attacks against women?
One such tragic story illustrates the true misogyny in these societies: Gita
and her two infant daughters were sleeping as her husband, who wanted a son,
threw acid on the three. The youngest daughter was killed, and the second
daughter Neetu, only two years old at the time, lost her sight. Her husband was
jailed for only two months, and after he was released, Gita continued living
with him because she didn't know what else to do. How can a father attack his
own daughters like this? I could not believe a culture could be so against
women.
However,
there has been some pushback by non-governmental organizations. Video
campaigns, like Reshma's, try to limit the sale of acid and other dangerous
materials and help improve medical treatment and legal assistance for victims.
There have been photo calendars and beauty photo-shoots to celebrate and in the
words of New Delhi photographer, Rahul Saharan, "empower survivors who
often feel isolated and stigmatized." Saharan says survivors are often
judged against Indian standards of beauty including fair skin, a defined nose,
and large eyes; after attacks, women feel embarrassed and scared to leave their
homes. Saharan hopes these photo shoots makes survivors feel less afraid to
appear in public and share their stories as they do in the calendar, where
survivors pose and talk about their dreams before their attack. One woman, for
example, holds a sign that says "I wanted to be a doctor." Also, the
Sheroes Hangout, a café in Agra (south of New Delhi), has played a huge role in
encouraging survivors. This café employs only acid attack survivors, and like
Ms. Griffin's community for women, is a safe place for survivors to come and
discuss equal rights. Dolly, who was raped and attacked with acid by a
25-year-old man when she was only 12, refused to leave her house for more than
a year as the acid burned her nostrils, causing a permanent breathing problem.
However, she now works with other survivors at the Sheroes Hangout, and says
this has given her courage. Similarly, survivor Gita, mentioned above, says
"life" for her and her remaining daughter after the attack
"became very difficult. We were ostracized by society. No one would talk
to us and there was a lot of harassment." Now, Gita works at the Sheroes
café and wants to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef.
The
issue of acid attacks connects to Alex’s War on Women, as women are victims of
unimaginable violence, as well as Ms. Griffin’s “Feminist Utopia,” as the
Sheroes Hangout offers survivors a refuge and safe place. However, they also
tie into questions raised by Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, as in many cases, Clarissa
is defined by her husband and men in the patriarchal society. I’m hugely
saddened and terrified by what people are willing to do to other people; though
I’m sure reasons are complicated. Whether for revenge or because men want to
remain powerful but feel threatened and are worried of losing control, I’m filled
with respect by survivors who continue to thrive and hope for a world where such
violence will end.
Discussion
questions:
1. How do you think it is possible for a culture to abuse women so much? To the extent where husbands, cousins, or other relatives will
throw acid on women or their own children? And as violence towards women is so mainstream,
do you think there is hope to change a culture that seems buried in its
misogyny? How would you try to change the fabric of society?
2. Do you think the efforts so far, such as Reshma’s
video, the photo shoots, and the Sheroes Hangout, are making a difference both
in the society itself as well as globally? Why and how?
3. Reshma’s family believes she was targeted because of
her beauty and popularity, as men may have felt jealous or threatened. What do
you think, other than hatred of women, might prompt men to react in such a way?
Do you think it may be perhaps because they feel pressured to act a certain
way?
Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29727876
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2790871/disfigured-blind-one-eye-denied-help-india-s-acid-attack-victims-forced-turn-crowdfunding-government-fails-support-spite-new-laws.html
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