Acid Survivors Trust International

Acid Survivors Trust International
Founded2002
TypeNon-governmental organisation
FocusTo put an end to acid violence and create a world where survivors can live in dignity and without fear.
Location
  • UK, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Uganda, Pakistan and Nepal
Key people
Jaf Shah (Executive Director)
The Princess Royal (Patron)
Websiteacidviolence.org

Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) is a UK-based international non-profit organization founded in 2002. It is a registered charity under English law.[1][2] ASTI works to promote and protect the survivors of acid and burn violence, with the aim of ending acid violence globally.[1][2] In addition to public education and awareness campaigns, ASTI has worked with and sustains organizations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Uganda.[1]

Impact

The organisation has been involved in multiple campaigns, including those to introduce acid laws in Cambodia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. ASTI are actively involved in administering medical support for survivors. Former ASTI trustee Dr. Ron Hiles OBE, has performed over one thousand reconstructive surgery operations and trained hundreds of surgeons, who have treated thousands of patients. In 2016, The Trust Law/Thomson Reuters Foundation shortlisted ASTI for a Solicitors Journal Award for Working in Partnership with J Sagar Associate, Baker & McKenzie and P&G Asia for the comparative law study that looked at acid laws in the UK, India, Cambodia and Colombia (see research).[citation needed]

Supporting survivors and changing attitudes

ASTI's impact abroad has been primarily centred on providing aid and support to attack survivors, whilst challenging common misconceptions around victimhood. For example, ASTI launched a two-year programme in collaboration with local partners Burns Violence Survivors Nepal and Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan in the delivery of a British Government Department for International Development funded project.

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)

Acid violence is considered gender-based violence in many countries as it affects women disproportionately.[3] The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) describes gender-based violence as "violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately".[4]

Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Cambodia have all ratified this convention yet are countries where acid violence is predominantly perpetrated by men against women.[3]

Changing laws

Alongside its local partners, ASTI has played a central role in the fight to tackle root causes of acid violence, ensure proper justice for survivors and prevent further attacks.[5] The following are examples of ASTI's work in changing laws:

  • Acid Survivors Foundation Bangladesh, which played a key role in policy change in Bangladesh. Bangladesh was the first country to pass a law banning acid violence, in 2002.[6] Fawzia Karim Firoze who was a founding trustee of the Acid Survivors Trust was recognised as an International Woman of Courage in 2024.[7]
  • The organisation's local partner Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan campaigned hard and played a critical part in helping to bring about The Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill in 2011[8] which has contributed to the decline in attacks. Once known to be the country with the highest number of such attacks (496 recorded attacks in 2002) and the highest incident rates for women, it has since experienced a drastic drop (approx. 70 attacks recorded in 2012) in the frequency of acid assaults.[9]
  • ASTI supported the work of Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC)[10] in bringing about legal reform. Cambodia has also adopted the Acid Law to criminalize and penalize perpetrators. A year after it was passed in 2012, the country also passed regulations governing the sale and use of concentrated acid.[11]
  • With over 100 victims of attack annually, Colombia has strengthened its legislative framework and enacted a law in January 2016 to impose sentences of 12 to 50 years in jail for perpetrators of acid attacks. The law was named after acid attack survivor Natalia Ponce de Leon who was attacked in 2014[12] and has since campaigned for stricter laws on acid violence.
  • The Colombian government also sought information from ASTI on tackling acid violence. At the invitation of the Colombian government ASTI executive director visited Colombia on two occasions (2014 and 2015) to provide expert advice.
  • Following the sharp increase in acid violence in the UK, the organisation was approached by British Home Office officials, the Shadow Home Secretary, and cross-party MPs seeking advice on tackling the surge in acid attacks. Consequently, they provided policy briefings as well as a detailed legal memorandum on loopholes in current laws. Further, Amber Rudd announced that the Home Office is to ban the sale of most corrosive substances to under-18s[13] as well as establish a six-month minimum sentence for anyone caught for the second time carrying acid without good reason.[14]

Media coverage

ASTI is often called on for expert comment whenever an acid attack is reported in the media. ASTI has featured in and provided material for coverage of acid violence in media outlets including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, CNN, The Independent, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

In October 2023, several media outlets reported on the ASTI investigation showing a sharp rise in the number of attacks in England and Wales.[15][16][17][18][19]

Patron

References

  1. ^ a b c "Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), registered charity no. 1079290". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  2. ^ a b c "ASTI – About Us". ASTI.org.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Combating Acid Violence in Bangladesh, India and Cambodia" (PDF). Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women New York, 18 December 1979". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. ^ "ASTI, Our Impact". Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  6. ^ "As Acid Attacks Rise Against Women, Laws Help to Deter Such Assaults – PassBlue". PassBlue.com. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Fawzia Karim Firoze: Championing justice as an emancipationist". The Business Standard. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act, 2011". Punjab Commission on the Status of Women. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Pakistan: Cases of acid attacks on women drop by half". gulfnews.com. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC)".
  11. ^ Bleckner, Julia (4 February 2019). "Acid Violence in Cambodia". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. ^ Cosoy, Natalio (6 February 2016). "Recovering from an acid attack". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Amber Rudd Is Planning To Ban Acid Sales To Under-18s, But People Think She Could Do More". Buzzfeed.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  14. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (13 October 2017). "Six-month minimum sentence proposed for repeat acid offences". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  15. ^ Amy-Clare Martin (19 October 2023). "Alarm as acid attacks soar by 69% with more women than men affected for first time". The Independent. London. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Acid attacks increase by 69% in England and Wales with more women than men victims". The Economic Times. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  17. ^ Daniel Osborne (19 October 2023). "Acid attacks increase by 69% in a year in England and Wales, charity warns". Sky News. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  18. ^ Ali Mitib (19 October 2023). "Acid attacks up by two third in England and Wales". London: The Times. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  19. ^ Nick Horner (19 October 2023). "Acid attacks in West Midlands more than double in a year". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 17 November 2023.