Warning: This story contains distressing details
Shaheen Malik, an acid-attack survivor and disability rights activist in India, is fighting an uphill legal and social battle to secure justice and rehabilitation for others like her - and says she will not give up despite the odds.
In 2019, Ruman's* husband allegedly beat her and forced her to drink acid during an episode of domestic violence. The alleged incident left her with severe internal injuries and a damaged oesophagus that had to be artificially reconstructed so that she could eat. Despite years of treatment, Ruman struggles to swallow food and eats little. At 28, she weighs just 21kg, less than the average weight of an eight-year-old girl.
However, despite her grave situation, Ruman is unable to seek compensation and rehabilitative benefits that acid attack survivors are allowed under India's disability law. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 only recognises as victims those who have suffered visible disfiguration due to the throwing of acid or similar substances, excluding those who have been forced to ingest acid.
In December, Shaheen petitioned the Supreme Court saying the disability law must also include survivors like Ruman. For survivors of forced acid ingestion, the disfigurement is internal and hence not as obvious. But their lives are extremely challenging as they find it difficult to breathe, speak, and swallow food despite numerous surgeries, she says.
Malik, 42, has been campaigning for the rights of acid attack survivors for over a decade. Her determination to help others comes from the challenges she has faced as a survivor herself. After being attacked with acid outside her workplace in 2009, she has undergone 25 surgeries and lost vision in her left eye. For 16 years, she fought a legal battle to bring her attackers to justice, but a recent trial court acquitted them in December.
I fought for justice for myself. But now, I'm fighting for the sake of other survivors and victims of abuse. I want my case to be an example of justice served, that perpetrators won't walk free and will be made to face the consequences of their actions, she asserts.
In 2021, Malik, along with Laxmi Agarwal, established the Brave Souls Foundation - a non-profit dedicated to providing legal and economic assistance to acid attack survivors, acting as a lifeline for those shunned by society.
Many private hospitals refuse to admit acid attack survivors until they are furnished with a court order, delaying life-saving treatment. And even after they are admitted, hospitals make the patient wait for long hours to receive treatment and often, discontinue it mid-way, Malik adds.
Despite the increasing number of acid attack cases in India – rising from 176 in 2021 to 207 in 2023 – former victims like Malik call for better legislation and enforcement to prevent these heinous acts and support survivors effectively. A single incident alters our whole life. We are treated like outcasts by society. Shouldn't the government do more to prevent more people from suffering the same fate as us? Malik challenges.
Motivated by her own experiences, Malik remains steadfast in her mission to advocate for justice and reform. She believes that the journey will be long, but will continue to pave the way for change.
*Survivors have shared only one name.
