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Don't turn away; we aren't scarecrows!

Note: Laxmi has started a petition addressing the Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to immediately take measures to regulate the sale of acid in retail. Please sign her petition here:    http://change.org/stopacidattacks

        It is disheartening to hear about 23-year-old Laxmi, who had lost her looks due to an acid attack when she was 15. And her “mistake” was that she inoffensively turned down a marriage proposal of a 32-year-old man. The attack took place amid a heavy crowd, and it wasn't a surprise to me that no one came forward to help. Because in India, we rather like to enjoy the show. The incident took place in 2005; and nothing has changed since. Women are still victims to acid attacks, and the so-called harshest punishment to the accused is an imprisonment of maximum 10 years. The accused, Nahim Khan, (who married shortly after the incident) was awarded a seven-year sentence. 
                                  Laxmi is now the face of the campaign against acid attacks.

After two years he will be on bail and will go on with his life. But what about Laxmi and her agony? She now spends most of her time indoors, and goes out with a veil to cover her head. Her relatives and friends no longer contact her, and no one hires her for jobs as they think she will scare off people. Everyone rejected her because of her looks. But was it really her fault? Was it her fault that she refused to marry? Was it her fault that the man attacked her? Is it her fault that people get scared when they look at her? She has undergone 7 surgeries and needs 4 more and then a plastic surgery. But the point is, can she afford it? She hails from a poor family and her father worked as a chef before he died. Her brother is suffering from tuberculosis and she is the sole earner of the family. 
       Why are cases of acid attacks taken so lightly? Despite so many cases, acid is being sold loose without any license. What the victims need is support and justice. But they are only given mere sympathy. There are many crimes against women other than rapes. Laxmi went to the home ministry to submit her petition which had been signed by 27,000 people. But even after waiting for 3 hours, our very dear home minister could not spare 5 minutes for her. After all, why would his majesty care? For him, an acid attack on women is just another mere issue. According to me, the accused can't just go away with a 10-year sentence; they should be awarded death. Jab jhatka lagega, tabhi bat banegi. 

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