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Acid Throwing: The Reality Of Internalised Patriarchy

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Vitriolage is a form of violent assault (mostly against women) quite common in India. Vitriolage is commonly referred to as, ‘acid attacks’ or ‘acid throwing’. It is an act of throwing acid (or a corrosive substance) on the body of another person with the intention of deforming, mutilating or causing some serious harm to them.

Perpetrators of acid attacks usually throw acid on the faces of the victims causing serious harm to their skin tissue, burning them, exposing and often dissolving the bones. Sulfuric and nitric acid are the most common acids used in these attacks. Hydrochloric acid is also used at times but it’s not as damaging as the others. The long term consequences of such attacks are that they could cause permanent scarring on the face and body. They also cause other social, psychological, and economic problems to the victim.

Acid attacks are a product of internalised patriarchy and misogyny that entitles men to believe that a woman is below them. A woman has no say in what a man can or cannot do. Vitriolage is one of the many problems suffered by Indian women due to the incessant patriarchal mindset that seeps the masses. “Boys will be boys” is most appropriately applied in such situations where these boys and men get away with violent assault of women.

Alok Dixit of the Stop Acid Attacks campaign has said that these usually happen out of professional jealousy and personal or familial squabbles, and even though there has been a rise in men attacking other men, it remains a gendered form of violence.

It’s a way of exerting domination over the weaker sex and an establishment and reinforcement of the institutionalised patriarchy that continues to plague Indian society. Statistics show that there have been 309 acid attack cases in 2014 and there has been a 300% rise in 3 years. This is a scarily high number that should be a major cause of concern.

It’s the ignorance about this that’s most alarming. The fact that society is choosing to turn a blind eye to this horrific deed being committed against another human being for no fault of their own is very frightening. But this is just one of the many acts that are being committed against women and being ignored. Rape, kidnapping, and acid attacks are a few of the many ways women are violently assaulted due to a subscription to the patriarchal mindset.

The faultiness of the law and order is definitely one of the main factors behind this. The fact that sufficient action is not taken against the perpetrators convinces them further that they will get away with it. A ‘no’ is a ‘no’ but under these twisted definitions of privilege, consent and dominance, ‘no’ is a ‘maybe’ or a ‘how dare she/he/they’.

It’s scary and baffling that this is indeed a reality that continues to exist and is perpetuated through an internalisation of patriarchy and ideals of dominance. It’s time we stopped turning a blind eye every time an injustice like this takes place against innocent lives and took a stand.

 

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