Acid Survivors Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Acid Survivors Foundation is a Bangladesh
i organization dedicated to raising awareness and preventing acid attacks and providing survivors with medical and legal aid.
The Foundation was founded by Dr John Morrison OBE in premises subsidized by the British High Commission/British Womens' Association in 1999 with substantial support from UNICEF and the Canadian International Development Agency
. Nasreen Huq a commanding personality in the field of social reform and human rights in Bangladesh campaigned internationally for ASF. For her dedication, in 2005, Monira Rahman
the Executive Director of ASF was awarded the Human Rights Award by Amnesty International
. The number of acid attacks has reduced by about 40% since 2003.
ASF initially began as a service delivery organization. Currently, it is in the process of moving towards a rights-based development organization.
ASF's have subsequently been established in Uganda, Cambodia and Pakistan sustained by ASTI (Acid Survivors Trust International) also headed by Sir John Morrison.
North East England businessman and entrepreneur Javed Majid and plastic surgeon Charles Viva have been instrumental in drawing attention to the acid burn cause since the early 1990s, in which Mr. Javed Majid – an active patron of several worldwide charities – paid for a viciously attacked and severely burnt Bangladeshi woman to be brought to the UK and operated on. Since then the two men have promoted the cause, and organise teams of surgeons to operate in developing countries around the world, each year. Both men were honored by ASTI's patron HRH Princess Royal, at a reception held at the High Commission of Pakistan in London on 15 March 2011 to mark the five-year partnership between ASTI and Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan (ASF-P).
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i organization dedicated to raising awareness and preventing acid attacks and providing survivors with medical and legal aid.
The Foundation was founded by Dr John Morrison OBE in premises subsidized by the British High Commission/British Womens' Association in 1999 with substantial support from UNICEF and the Canadian International Development Agency
Canadian International Development Agency
The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
. Nasreen Huq a commanding personality in the field of social reform and human rights in Bangladesh campaigned internationally for ASF. For her dedication, in 2005, Monira Rahman
Monira Rahman
Monira Rahman worked as secretary/PA to Dr John Morrison OBE who consulted for the Canadian International Development Agency in Dhaka, Bangladesh prior to becoming the founder of the Acid Survivors Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and preventing acid attacks...
the Executive Director of ASF was awarded the Human Rights Award by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. The number of acid attacks has reduced by about 40% since 2003.
ASF initially began as a service delivery organization. Currently, it is in the process of moving towards a rights-based development organization.
ASF's have subsequently been established in Uganda, Cambodia and Pakistan sustained by ASTI (Acid Survivors Trust International) also headed by Sir John Morrison.
Acid attacks from 1999 to 2005
| Period | Number of incidents | Number of persons attacked | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Total | ||||
| May-December: 1999 | 115 | 58 | 139 | ||
| 2000 | 172 | 98 | 235 | ||
| 2001 | 250 | 140 | 344 | ||
| 2002 | 366 | 219 | 487 | ||
| 2003 | 335 | 185 | 412 | ||
| 2004 | 266 | 180 | 325 | ||
| 2005 | 212 | 144 | 268 | ||
Comparative statistics of 2005 and 2006
| Months | Number of incidents | Number of persons attacked | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2005 | Women | Men | Children (Under 18) | Total | ||
| 2006 | 2005 | ||||||
| January | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 12 |
| February | 12 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 19 |
| March | 12 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 18 |
| April | 13 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 22 |
| Total | 47 | 58 | 36 | 14 | 12 | 62 | 71 |
- Source
- Acid Survivors Foundation
Statistics of Acid Attack 1999 to 2005
- Acid Survivors Foundation
North East England businessman and entrepreneur Javed Majid and plastic surgeon Charles Viva have been instrumental in drawing attention to the acid burn cause since the early 1990s, in which Mr. Javed Majid – an active patron of several worldwide charities – paid for a viciously attacked and severely burnt Bangladeshi woman to be brought to the UK and operated on. Since then the two men have promoted the cause, and organise teams of surgeons to operate in developing countries around the world, each year. Both men were honored by ASTI's patron HRH Princess Royal, at a reception held at the High Commission of Pakistan in London on 15 March 2011 to mark the five-year partnership between ASTI and Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan (ASF-P).