Citation

Kaur N, Byard RW. Med. Sci. Law 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, British Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/00258024221134961

PMID

36314472

Abstract

Acid attacks involve dousing a victim with a concentrated acidic or caustic fluid. The head and face are most often targeted to maximize the chances of disfigurement, as the intention is usually to cause life-long disability, pain and lack of psychological wellbeing rather than death. In India it is often regarded as a form of gender-based violence aimed predominantly at women, frequently following the rejection of a proposed sexual relationship, however, a significant subset of cases involve males. Four cases are reported to demonstrate the different reasons for such attacks in males including revenge for reporting criminal activity, intra-familial disputes and apparently random episodes. Male acid attack victims may represent an over-looked subgroup that often does not receive adequate compensation or government support to access disability services, despite this being mandated by recent legislation.

Language: en

Keywords

India; compensation; Acid attacks; disability certificate; male gender; vitriolage