Perpetrators' easy access to acid keeps violence unabated

Massive campaign against acid violence and strict laws could not bring much success to control the crime in the country as two sets of the existing laws are being abused, leading the perpetrators' access to acid easily and, at the same time, helping them escape from punishment.
The unabated acid violence elsewhere leads to burning few hundred people, mostly women and children every year. Still, at least one acid violence is taking place in every three days as 90 incidents occurred since September this year, injuring 116 people.
Though the Acid Control Act 2002 prohibits using, transporting and selling acids without licences, very few users of acids, especially the little jewellery shops, have licences.
While visiting in the city's Tantibazar and Goalnagar areas, it was found that a significant number of jewellery shops have no licences for using acids.
“The acid sellers know us and so we don't have to show licences to buy acids from them,” said one Razzaq, employee of a gold jewellery shop at Tantibazar, adding that police even don't say anything if they are given some hush money.
“The licence policy is not good,” said Mohammad Shamsul Haque, president of Bangladesh Acid Merchants Association.
“There are many small types of jewellery that need only half kilogram of acid a year. The owners of these jewellery shops usually don't bother to apply for licences, because they think it a hassle of showing trade licences, membership of chamber, income tax certificates, bank solvency certificates, deeds, experience certificates, etc after paying a range of Tk 7,000 to 25,000 as licence fee,” he said, adding that most of the small types of jewellery have no licences for using acids.
“We demanded the government provide the user licences with reduced preconditions and money. But the government did not pay heed to it,” he said, adding that the criminals usually collect acids from the small traders who have no licences of using and selling acids at all.
The government has imposed restrictions on using and selling of acids, including hydrochloric, sulphuric, chromic and caustic potash by a enacting a law, but those are being sold in the market openly at a price between Tk 2 and Tk 40 per kg.
But unfortunately, the deputy commissioner's office does not know who are selling and using acids without licences. Even, since 2007, no mobile court visited the areas to identify those who are violating the laws.
Lack of manpower is the main reason for field visit as well as to nab the criminals, they said.
An Acid Survivors Foundation report revealed that some 490 people fell victim to acid violence in 2002, which was 411 in 2003, 325 in 2004 and 221 in 2006. But the conviction rate is quite negligible compared to that of the incidents.
“The number of the acquitted is higher than the number of the convicted,” said Meherun Nessa Parul, in-charge of Acid Monitoring Cell of Police Headquarters.
In most cases, the accused are acquitted, because the witness often fears to give his/her statements in the court. Besides, the acid throwers often manage the victim's family to compromise and withdraw the case as most of the acid violence takes place among the relatives, she said.
From January 2002 to October 2009, some 1,480 cases were filed under the Acid Crime Control Act. Of them, only 273 accused were convicted in 165 cases while 1,457 accused were acquitted in 434 cases, said Police HQ sources.