N Malaysia's latest acid attack, an unemployed man was sentenced to six years jail and two strokes of the rotan for splashing acid on his wife after she refused to have sex with him.
He receives six short years, but she has to endure a lifetime of the physical and mental scars of her husband's cruel act. Malaysia's legal system has yet again failed the acid test for cases such as these. A lenient sentence is no deterrent to those who use acid as a convenient method to vent their anger and frustrations on unsuspecting victims.
Recently, there has been a rise in acid attacks in the country with one case involving a politician's wife last February. However, the punishment for such crimes is still causing the public concern as many fear that the light sentences are not prohibitive.
supian-hani-ismail
Supian Hani Ismail who attacked his wife with acid being led to court.
We recoil in horror at how Supian Hani Ismail, 47 mutilated his wife Sarina Wahab, 43, by pouring a bottle of acid over her which burnt her face, shoulder, breast, upper neck, left forearm and hand. Their seven-year old daughter was also injured in this incident.
Around the world, thousands of women in South Asia, principally Bangladesh and Pakistan, in the extended area of this region like Afghanistan, and in other countries like Cambodia, all suffer the same fate.
Most of these victims, about 80%, are women and have been injured in violent attacks involving acid. Apparently, it has now become a socially acceptable way to get even. Sadly, few of the violators, mainly men, have been brought to justice.
It is believed that these attacks are a form of male backlash against modern day women who have become socially and financially independent and confident. It has also been widely proven that these attacks are a common form of revenge by men who have been jilted, who have had their advances spurned or who are involved in a dispute. In this particular attack at Felda Bukit Sagu, Supian attacked his wife because she refused to have sex with him.
Everyone will agree that an acid attack is a sinful and evil act whether it is done by a man or a woman. The perpetrator may not wish to kill the victim but in some perverse way, wants to make sure that the retaliation for disobeying will make the victim suffer for the rest of his or her life.
Acid eats away flesh and even bones and causes terrible pain and shock. An attack also induces terror. Victims are mutilated and scarred for the rest of their lives with permanent disabilities such as blindness and disfigurement.
In this attack near Kuantan, we are told that Supian had returned from a gambling session in the early hours of the morning and had woken his wife up to demand sex. It didn't bother him that she was asleep, or that she was unwell at the time. It was also reported that he had various health problems which also contributed to his wife's refusal to have sex with him. This couple was also going through divorce proceedings, one of the reasons being his addiction to gambling. What he did in retaliation is wrong and unforgiveable. He was unable to cope with his sexual frustration and reacted violently.
Last week, on the 5 April, another victim, 18-year-old schoolgirl, Tan Hui Lin, returned to school after 6 months recovery from injuries sustained in an acid attack. Her father had thrown acid over her mother and her, whilst they lay asleep. She had arrived in school swathed in bandages and a face mask and had mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement at returning. In the attack which killed her mother, Hui Lin had sustained 6acid-attack-on-woman0% burns on her face and upper torso and had several operations to regain her sight.
It is well documented that the survivors of acid attacks face extreme lifestyle changes, social isolation and rejection not just from the community but possibly also by their own families. Most of the victims can ill-afford reconstructive surgery. None ever recover from their horrible ordeal and for several it is a fate worse than death. Unmarried women who are victims, may never marry. For most, if not all survivors, the social stigma, loss of self-esteem and economic rejection is enough to break anybody's will and spirit.
Supian, who owns a rubber smallholding, had access to formic acid because this acid is used in the coagulation of latex in the making of rubber sheets. There has been talk that the relative ease with which acid can be purchased from any hardware shop is a major contributing factor for these frequent attacks. There has also been speculation about strictly enforcing the law to control the sale, distribution and storage of acid.
But before anyone passes a law to restrict the sale of acid, they should be aware that anyone with access to a car-battery can easily extract the sulphuric acid from the battery. The burns from sulphuric acid are more dangerous than from comparable strong acids, like hydrochloric acid.
Restricting the sale of acid and other corrosive chemicals may be of little use. Anyone with a will to do harm will find ways and means to have access to dangerous chemicals. A very concentrated sugar solution has an identical scalding effect and is used in a similar way between warring groups of convicts in prisons.
Right now, the most effective deterrent is to make the punishment for such crimes so severe that people who think they can use acid in such attacks may think twice if they have to be locked away for a very long time.
MM
15/04/10
He receives six short years, but she has to endure a lifetime of the physical and mental scars of her husband's cruel act. Malaysia's legal system has yet again failed the acid test for cases such as these. A lenient sentence is no deterrent to those who use acid as a convenient method to vent their anger and frustrations on unsuspecting victims.
Recently, there has been a rise in acid attacks in the country with one case involving a politician's wife last February. However, the punishment for such crimes is still causing the public concern as many fear that the light sentences are not prohibitive.
supian-hani-ismail
Supian Hani Ismail who attacked his wife with acid being led to court.
We recoil in horror at how Supian Hani Ismail, 47 mutilated his wife Sarina Wahab, 43, by pouring a bottle of acid over her which burnt her face, shoulder, breast, upper neck, left forearm and hand. Their seven-year old daughter was also injured in this incident.
Around the world, thousands of women in South Asia, principally Bangladesh and Pakistan, in the extended area of this region like Afghanistan, and in other countries like Cambodia, all suffer the same fate.
Most of these victims, about 80%, are women and have been injured in violent attacks involving acid. Apparently, it has now become a socially acceptable way to get even. Sadly, few of the violators, mainly men, have been brought to justice.
It is believed that these attacks are a form of male backlash against modern day women who have become socially and financially independent and confident. It has also been widely proven that these attacks are a common form of revenge by men who have been jilted, who have had their advances spurned or who are involved in a dispute. In this particular attack at Felda Bukit Sagu, Supian attacked his wife because she refused to have sex with him.
Everyone will agree that an acid attack is a sinful and evil act whether it is done by a man or a woman. The perpetrator may not wish to kill the victim but in some perverse way, wants to make sure that the retaliation for disobeying will make the victim suffer for the rest of his or her life.
Acid eats away flesh and even bones and causes terrible pain and shock. An attack also induces terror. Victims are mutilated and scarred for the rest of their lives with permanent disabilities such as blindness and disfigurement.
In this attack near Kuantan, we are told that Supian had returned from a gambling session in the early hours of the morning and had woken his wife up to demand sex. It didn't bother him that she was asleep, or that she was unwell at the time. It was also reported that he had various health problems which also contributed to his wife's refusal to have sex with him. This couple was also going through divorce proceedings, one of the reasons being his addiction to gambling. What he did in retaliation is wrong and unforgiveable. He was unable to cope with his sexual frustration and reacted violently.
Last week, on the 5 April, another victim, 18-year-old schoolgirl, Tan Hui Lin, returned to school after 6 months recovery from injuries sustained in an acid attack. Her father had thrown acid over her mother and her, whilst they lay asleep. She had arrived in school swathed in bandages and a face mask and had mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement at returning. In the attack which killed her mother, Hui Lin had sustained 6acid-attack-on-woman0% burns on her face and upper torso and had several operations to regain her sight.
It is well documented that the survivors of acid attacks face extreme lifestyle changes, social isolation and rejection not just from the community but possibly also by their own families. Most of the victims can ill-afford reconstructive surgery. None ever recover from their horrible ordeal and for several it is a fate worse than death. Unmarried women who are victims, may never marry. For most, if not all survivors, the social stigma, loss of self-esteem and economic rejection is enough to break anybody's will and spirit.
Supian, who owns a rubber smallholding, had access to formic acid because this acid is used in the coagulation of latex in the making of rubber sheets. There has been talk that the relative ease with which acid can be purchased from any hardware shop is a major contributing factor for these frequent attacks. There has also been speculation about strictly enforcing the law to control the sale, distribution and storage of acid.
But before anyone passes a law to restrict the sale of acid, they should be aware that anyone with access to a car-battery can easily extract the sulphuric acid from the battery. The burns from sulphuric acid are more dangerous than from comparable strong acids, like hydrochloric acid.
Restricting the sale of acid and other corrosive chemicals may be of little use. Anyone with a will to do harm will find ways and means to have access to dangerous chemicals. A very concentrated sugar solution has an identical scalding effect and is used in a similar way between warring groups of convicts in prisons.
Right now, the most effective deterrent is to make the punishment for such crimes so severe that people who think they can use acid in such attacks may think twice if they have to be locked away for a very long time.
MM
15/04/10
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