BSEHR recommends issue of license to control sale of acid

A human-rights organisation recommend issue of licenses for both sale and purchase of acid, reports UNB.

The Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR) in its recent investigation report put forward a five-point recommendation aimed at stopping the misuse of nitric, sulfuric and carbolic acid.

It said, licence must specify the amount and purpose of acid bought by individuals. "The license of both the seller and the buyer should be subject to be cancelled in case of any misuse."

Seller of acid must produce cash memo and the buyers must preserve it. Besides, the BSEHR recommend raising public awareness about the misuse of acid.

"Misuse of acid would not be checked only by filing case against the offenders unless these recommendations are considered," said the BSEHR.

Considering the deadly misuse of acid to burns and disfigures faces of young women, an investigation team of BSCHR was formed with Advocate Elina Khan as its chief to find out the origins, prices and use of acid.

Generally people can buy acid openly for different purposes including for goldsmith shops, motor garages and laboratories of schools and colleges. Acid is sold openly without any restrictions at chemical shops.

But investigators found that the smaller shops at districts and small towns collect acid from Narayanganj wholesale markets.

In absence of any specific rules for sale and purchase of acids, buyers have easy access to retail acid shops who do not bother about any compulsions for specifying the quantity and purpose of acid during trade.

Although the wholesalers of Narayanganj possess license for trading in acid, retailers at village markets do not have any.

A pound of nitric acid can be bought for Tk 30-35 while each pound of sulfuric acid costs only Tk 17-25 at retailer levels.

The investigators reveal that sulfuric acid, because of its low price and easy availability, is widely used and is often the item used to disfigure young girls.

Users are mainly youths who take revenge on girls by pouring acid on them as squeal to conjugal quarrels or love offers being spurned or just about any other trivial matter of dispute.