Hope amid challenges for acid attack survivors

Was shattered after the incident, now feel empowered at my workplace, says a survivor

“The acid attack ruined my life,” said Nasreen, who was abandoned by her parents in 2007 after her husband, against whom she had filed a divorce case for domestic violence, attacked her. She roamed the streets of Jama Masjid struggling to sustain herself. “I’ve slept in places where you wouldn’t even walk,” she said.

Life changed for the better when the Delhi High Court employed Nasreen and she could afford a roof over her head.

In 2017, the Delhi High Court provided contractual employment to five acid attack survivors and a transgender person after their struggles were highlighted before the then Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal. The Delhi State Legal Services Authority had proposed to explore job opportunities for acid attack survivors and the court’s decision enabled six women to live with dignity.

Mamta, 31, worked at a beauty parlour before she was attacked by her husband who threw acid on her face within a few weeks of their marriage in 2010. He was unhappy with the dowry she brought from her parental home. After struggling for seven years to find a job, she was eventually hired as a help desk assistant five years ago at the High Court.

“At work, I interact with many people who motivate me. The incident had shattered me but I feel empowered on getting recognised at my workplace,” Ms. Mamta said, who remarried recently.

However, she is yet to receive justice. “The accused continues to live freely, while I still live with the trauma and struggle to look at myself in the mirror,” she said.

Justice Gita Mittal told The Hindu that acid attack victims and transgender persons are the most ostracised communities in society. “Since representation matters, we should actively create a safe space for them and provide them with more such opportunities, “ she said.