Acid attacks are a sad legacy from India that, instead of fading out, has gained new proselytes in Europe, and more recently in Italy.
The real number of victims from acid attacks is impossible to estimate, as the conspiracy of silence is the victims’ worst enemy. However, the numbers have multiplied ever since the NGO Stop Acid Attacks started to work actively to unveil the extent of the phenomenon. In 2010, 80 victims were declared. There were 122 in 2013, and 315 in 2015! More and more women find the strength to report this crime as they are supported and encouraged to come out of silence by the volunteers from the Stop Acid Attacks NGO.
To help these women survive in an unforgiving society, rebuild their confidence and empower them economically, Stop Acid Attacks has entrusted them with the management of a number of cafés in the city of Agra, in India. Founded in 2013 in New Delhi, the Sheroes Hangouts are a means of economic empowerment for some and a listening point for others. The hangouts offer readers’ café, an activism workshop, a community radio hub, and an exhibition space.
Beyond the walls of the cafés however, indifference is still the norm. Tuc Tuc drivers in the overcrowded streets of India, have not heard of the Sheroes Hangout. Their ignorance is only a symptom of the societal problem that plagues the country, and an indication of how much work there is still left in terms of awareness-raising.
For International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Club of San Marino organized a photography exhibition entitled “SHEROES – after the acid attack”, by photographer Federico Borella. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of this topic and to encourage reflection on the strength of women survivors.
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Links:
“Stop Acid Attacks” in the Huffington Post
“San Marino. Sheroes: She Eroes-Donne eroiche” in giornalesm.com
Photographer for “Sheroes – after the acid attack”, Federico Borella