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Powerful photos of acid attack survivors spotlight vicious crime

Ersin Çelik
16:25 - 14/09/2017 Perşembe
Update: 16:27 - 14/09/2017 Perşembe
REUTERS
Acid attack survivors wait in the back stage prior to participate in a fashion show titled “Beauty Redefined” organized by ActionAid Bangladesh in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Acid attack survivors wait in the back stage prior to participate in a fashion show titled “Beauty Redefined” organized by ActionAid Bangladesh in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Some of the girls and women photographed were burnt after spurning suitors. Other attacks were triggered by dowry arguments or jealousy.

One woman from India was doused with acid by her husband and mother-in-law after giving birth to a girl rather than a boy.

But there are also positive stories behind the photographs.

Woehrl points to an image of a Ugandan couple Moses and Christine. When she was 16, Christine was attacked by Moses' ex-girlfriend, leaving her with severe burns over her face and body. Moses stood by her and they now have a daughter.

The photographer said she was also moved by a young Ugandan woman called Flavia who spent seven months in hospital after she was attacked in her first year at university.

Flavia, who has heavy scarring over her face and upper body, hid herself away for a long time, but has since trained as a counsellor and is also a passionate salsa dancer.

"People just have to accept me the way I am. And I actually love myself now," Flavia said in a statement. "It has taught me to appreciate inner beauty more."

The exhibition is mounted by the Acid Survivors Trust International, a UK-based charity campaigning to end acid attacks across the globe.

Woehrl hopes to take the show to some of the worst affected countries such as India and Pakistan.

Although most victims of acid attacks worldwide are women, most victims in Britain are men, with cases often linked to robberies or gang violence.

Britain is looking at how to tighten controls on the sale of corrosive substances and the possibility of life sentences for offenders.

#Acid attack
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