Sampada A. Khatiwada

With the issuance of a new ordinance on acid attacks, the perpetrators involved in such heinous crimes will now face severe punishment. On Monday, President Bidya Devi Bhandari issued the ordinance that also has provisions to regulate the sale and distribution of acid and other lethal chemicals.
The new legal provision is a hard-earned victory for all the victims of acid attack and those voicing for a stringent law against this crime. They had demanded that harsher provisions be included in the National Criminal (Code) Act, 2017.
Previously, the national penal code had provisioned imprisonment for a term of only 5-8 years and fine of Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 500,000 if any person convicted for committing a heinous offence of acid attack. The provision also included the punishment depending upon seriousness of the victim's wound as fine of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 300,000 and imprisonment for a term of 3-5 years would be slammed in case of disfigurement of any organ or bodily pain.
As the acid attackers' intention is to destroy the victim’s life, determining the retribution on the basis of reactions of the acid was not justifiable. Rather than punishing the perpetrator for his/her intention of damaging someone's face and/or body forever, the punishment against acid attack would depend upon the victim's luck. Many human rights activists had also regarded the legislation of acid attack as regressive.
Amending the national penal code through issuing the ordinance, the government has finally taken the issue seriously and come up with a stern provision of punishment against the attackers. The term of imprisonment has been increased up to 20 years and the fine has been increased to Rs. 1 million.
The amended acid attack legislation suggest that the attacker shall serve a jail term from 15 to 20 years and pay from Rs. 7,000 to 1,000,000 as fine if the attack causes blindness or deafness, partial damage to face, breast, part of the head, back and limbs.
We can hope that the enforcement of the severe punishment would finally deter the perpetrators from involving in such heinous offences. However, considering the increasing cases of acid attacks in the country recent times, introducing rigorous punishments alone may not be enough to prevent people from hurling acid on others.
Most of the cases related to acid attacks take place because of rejection or anger. Thus, it is important to aware everyone that a step taken as an outcome of anger would invite a serious consequences for them in the future. Also, public awareness must be created in each and every nook and corner of the nation about the physical and emotional pain that the victims of acid attack have to go through in order to prevent acid attacks. In Nepal, many women and girls, including Sangita Magar and Muskan Khatun, have become the victims of the inhuman acts of acid attack.
With the new law having a severe punishment for the perpetrators and the regulation of the sale and distribution of the harmful chemicals, the government should now focus on rehabilitation of the victims. The acid attack survivors have to go through physical and psychological damages. The society should be more welcoming and accepting towards them. Also, the government must ensure that the survivors of acid attacks get employment and other facilities.