KARACHI: This refers to a report in your newspaper of February 29 titled “Making a difference: Oscar winner Sharmeen launches anti-acid campaign”.
We all should fully support Pakistan’s first Oscar winner on this noble cause. Here is some background on this issue.
Although acid attacks mainly target women, there have been a few cases where women have thrown acid on men — at times to take revenge from a divorced former husband or to protect one’s honour and life during an attack by a rapist.
Women can try and avoid becoming victims of such attacks by being alert and using their instincts to tell if someone is following them. If they feel that they have been cornered or that someone is indeed following them, then they should scream and that could attract attention of passerby. Those who are travelling in a car should always keep the window fully rolled up.
In this campaign, the print and electronic media can also play an important role.
Sqn-ldr (retd) S Ausaf Husain
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2012.
