Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Acid-violence-survivors have expressed their reservations over the ability of weak legislation and the lax implementation of existing laws to ensure swift justice to curb this menace.

The best way to empower acid attack survivors is to enact the existing domestic violence bill and other related legislation to stop domestic violence in society, said Group Development Pakistan Executive Director Valerie Khan.

She stressed the need for access of acid survivors to socio-economic support programmes besides dissemination of their success stories through media and adopting of a comprehensive approach to make them useful citizens of the society.

She said that passage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act marks a milestone in the history of the country adding she said the major challenge is its effective implementation to further bring down the number of acid attack cases.

She said that there is also a need to improve the legal framework so that other aspects of acid burn violence could be addressed keeping in view the best interests of the survivor, she added.

Despite laws, perpetrators continue to go unpunished as the victims’ families compromise several times. Their relatives settle the matter with money without realizing that the small amount will never bring their daughter back to normal life.

Social activist Aneesa Khatoon said that the government should be responsible for arranging cosmetic surgery and counselling sessions for them to ensure their active role in society.