Spectrum of Vitriolage in Pakistan: A Gnawing Violence against Women

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to know the socio-cultural causative factors behind the phenomenon of acid-based attacks against women in Pakistani society. A sample of 18 respondents, i.e., female acid victims with an age range of 15-45 years, belonging to Lahore city, was taken through a purposive sampling technique amongst the patients of Depilex Smileagain Foundation, Lahore. Face-to-face narrative interviews by using an interview guide were conducted to listen to the autobiographies of the respondents. The collected data was analyzed by using thematic analysis. The findings of the study exposed that more than three-fourths of the respondents were quite young, between the ages of 21 and 45 years. More than three-fifths of the respondents were unmarried. The majority of the victims belonged to the lower middle class. Acid attacks often arise from family disputes, rejected marriage proposals, or dowry demands, typically as acts of revenge fueled by hatred or jealousy in personal relationships. The study further revealed that the majority of the victims did not receive immediate medical aid. Victims of the acid attack faced frequent changes in their later lives, and they also had psychological concerns such as nightmares, exhaustion, headaches, sleeplessness, weakness, sadness, dread of another assault or facing the world, trouble remembering and focusing, etc. Governments must enact and enforce laws against violence, especially acid attacks, ensuring victims receive free medical care and support for complete rehabilitation and recovery.