On 14 February the UNWA general meeting was held at the house of Kate Arnold. The Association had invited the Director of the Acid Survivors Foundation, Dr. John Morrison, to speak on the plight of survivors of acid violence in Bangladesh as UNWA has pledged support to ASF this year. Afterwards, a crafts fair, organized by the Welfare Committee, was opened with stalls from various organizations, most of whom have been supported by UNWA in the past or present.

President Liti Lissner welcomed the ladies, described the day’s agenda and introduced the chairperson of the nominating committee Janet Jackson, Deputy Representative of UNFPA. Janet spoke about the upcoming elections of the UNWA Executive Board, outlining procedures and requirements for those who wish to be put forth as candidates.

The president then introduced Dr. John Morrison, a native of Yorkshire in the United Kingdom who moved to Bangladesh four years ago to join his wife who is working here. He started the Acid Survivor’s Foundation in May 1999 with no money and very rudimentary facilities.

Acid violence is a particularly heinous and inhuman crime inflicted often on women or young girls who have spurned men’s advances or whose families rejected proposals of marriage. The results of having acid thrown on their faces and bodies are always catastrophic, as the acid melts the skin away, sometimes to the bone.

The foundation, as Dr. Morrison explained, endeavors to achieve four clear objectives:

The foundation has implemented a nationwide reporting system that reports acid attacks and transport of patients to hospitals as quickly as possible. ASF also established a medical facility in Dhaka which is now probably one of the forerunners in the world in the treatment of acid burns. Last year, 340 cases of acid attacks were reported, but the actual number may be much higher. Dr.Morrison admitted that it is quite alarming, since attacks are on the rise, up 55 percent from last year. Victims are no longer limited to women, but babies and families are also increasingly involved because of disputes over land and dowry. In the month of February alone, 35 attacks were reported, more than one a day.

It was an eye-opening talk that was further underscored when Dr. Morrison passed around a picture of a recent survivor, a two month-old baby boy who fell prey to acid while sleeping with his parents. Dr. Morrison stated that the baby was most likely not the intended target, as is so often the tragic case when children fall victim to this act.

Dr.Morrison, an affable, soft-spoken man, whose optimism was apparent, even in the face of tragedy, spoke of the present Government’s commitment to ending acid violence. Currently the foundation is working in conjunction with the Minister of Law and his office to draft legislation pertaining to acid violence, including laws to punish those who have sold the acid used in these crimes.

Bangladesh is not the only country in the region to have acid violence, and there are plans to organize a regional meeting to discuss mutual experiences with countries such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Dr. Morrison explained how the foundation runs on grants from such organizations as the German Committee for UNICEF and Canadian and Danish organizations. He also thanked UNWA for supporting ASF, since apart from the financial assistance which keeps the foundation functioning on a daily basis, the UNWA name, as well as that of other individual donors provides ASF with official recognition and justification for its activities.

The talk ended with a very lively question and answer period.

The crafts fair, housed under a festive blue and yellow canopy, was opened. Ten stalls from organizations supported by UNWA were:

featured handicrafts, hand woven and embroidered cloth, toys, children clothes, cards and many other items. We saw many ladies leaving the tent with several paper bags and big smiles on their faces so we hope it was a satisfying fair for both the sellers and the buyers.