Protect yourself against Acid Attacks
Acid attacks are a growing menace these days, not only in big cities, but also in small towns and rural segments. Acid attacks are rampant in society, seen as acts of vengeance by cruel, heartless miscreants of society, on women. The act of throwing acid on a woman’s face is not only an act of shame, it is a sin; for you not only destroy a woman’s facial structure, you also scar her for life, both physically and psychologically. In a way, you alter a woman’s fate by mutilating her face!
The court has put a ban on the ‘over the counter’ sale of acid; and despite the best efforts of law enforcement agencies to curb its sale, miscreants are somehow able to successfully procure acid and administer attacks on women!
What are the primary reasons why acid attacks happen?
Back in the day, one-sided love affairs were the main reason for acid attacks on women.
A bitter end to a relationship would culminate in a vulgar display of power by the man as he would throw acid on the woman’s face and body, leaving her completely shattered. Women were often seen as passive, soft targets in the past.
Professional rivalries:
Now the times have changed. There is a paradigm shift and women are now competing head to head with the men-folk. Women are venturing into industries, space technology, entrepreneurial. They are even given the responsibility of flying fighter jets!
This power shift ushers-in professional rivalries at the workplace; and this professional rivalry often manifests itself in the form of jealousy. This jealousy often escalates into hatred for the other person, leading to vengeful acts, of which, the most common one is the “face destroyer” or the acid attack.
The worst part about acid attacks is that you don’t know who the attacker might be! It could be anyone who holds a grudge against you! You also don’t know when he/she might attack or where! We will not go into a lot of details about the reasons that prompt acid attacks. We wish to state that there is no fail-proof way to defend oneself against an acid attack. But if you are someone who faced any of the three situations (as mentioned above) in the past, then you should take these suggestive measures.
Primarily, you should always be alert. Mental alertness or the “switch on” mode is always beneficial in detecting a threat of any kind. You should also move about in groups, if you feel that you’re under some kind of threat. Solo travelling should be kept to a minimum. You should be wary about any unusual movement when moving out in public. You should always look around and do a scan of nearby areas, while in public.
You should always position yourself in the center of a group and not be in an accessible spot for the attacker. Even while you are in the center, you should be on the lookout for any possible nearby threat.
Let’s take an example to explain:
If you’re standing at a bus-stop, make sure that you’re on the farther side from the road. Why? This is so because acid attacks are often carried out by motorists who throw acid from a distance. So, by staying at a safe distance from the road, you’re negating their possible “attack and run” threat. You are also exposing the attacker to the public; because when you’re out of the attacker’s reach, the attacker has to alight from his vehicle and come at you. You should also be wary of whether he has his face covered or not. Usually, an attacker tries his best to conceal his identity before committing the crime. If you see that his face is concealed and if he is coming at you, you should shift your position. If the attacker still charges at you, notice his hands, because an acid attack can only be carried out with the hands and this attack is a one-time attack only (it cannot be repeated). If you see his hands are concealed, you should be more alert and if he attempts to do so, you should cover your face with your handbag or scarf, raise an alarm and run. This would lessen the success rate of the acid attack.
In conclusion, there can be numerous other situations at different places, involving different approaches to carrying out acid attacks.
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