Category Archives: Acid attacks

Acid offences up 75% in UK but only 8% go to court, data suggests

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Acid Survivors Trust International calls for more focus on prevention in similar strategy to that for knife crime

Acid attacks and other offences involving corrosive substances in the UK have risen by 75% in a year but only 8% of cases led to criminal charges or a summons, figures suggest.

The total number of recorded offences last year based on freedom of information (FOI) requests was 1,244 – up from 710 in 2022 – comprising 454 physical attacks and 790 other alleged offences, including carrying corrosives and threats of acid attack to aid other offences such as rape or robbery.

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Man who put on fat suit disguise to throw acid on ex-girlfriend jailed

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Medical student Milad Rouf imprisoned for 15 years for doorstep attack that disfigured junior doctor Rym Alaoui

A medical student who threw acid over his ex-girlfriend while disguised in a fat suit has been jailed for 15 years.

Milad Rouf put on the disguise, which also included makeup and sunglasses, before throwing sulphuric acid over Rym Alaoui, his ex-girlfriend and a former colleague, when she came to the door of her home in May.

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‘Now I’m independent’: the Pakistan beauty salons employing acid attack survivors

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A job scheme for women who may otherwise be shunned as outcasts is giving many the opportunity to rebuild their lives

Margaret Heera runs her fingers through her customer’s hair. “You must manage time for yourself and your skin,” she says, as she ties the hair into an elaborate knot.

The beauty salon in Lahore is busy. Sitting between potted plants on chairs facing full-length mirrors, women are waiting to get their hair cut or styled, for manicures and pedicures.

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Acid attack survivors in Uganda – in pictures

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Acid attacks have been on the rise in Uganda. Organisations such as End Acid Violence Uganda are pushing for a law that would see harsher punishments for perpetrators such as a ‘no bail policy’, satisfactory compensation for victims, and implementation of a medical care policy paid for by the government. End Acid Violence Uganda officers make regular home visits to survivors to offer support and guidance.

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‘He thought he’d ruin me’: Indian acid attack survivor and model speaks out | Ruchi Kumar

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Reshma Qureshi’s makeup tip videos put a spotlight on violence against women, but survivors still face an uphill struggle for justice

When catwalk model Reshma Qureshi offers makeup tips, her online tutorials end with the message that an eyeliner or lipstick is just as easy to buy in India as a pot of over-the-counter acid.

The point, coming from a woman who was left disfigured and partially sighted by an acid attack, has already proved so powerful that it has helped lead first to an international petition, and then to the supreme court of India ordering states to enforce the ban on sales of the chemical.

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