Face is the mirror of our personality. Many people start their day by looking into the mirror, appreciating beauty given by God. Beautiful faces charm us and we feel fresh in the presence of beautiful faces. How would a woman feel when her face becomes ugly?

Here I am talking about those women who are acid attack survivors. Some insane lovers have deliberately snatched away their beauty by throwing acid on them.

It’s not easy to make a woman look beautiful because it takes hours to enhance her beauty. But unfortunately it has become easiest to scar her face in seconds.

Toilets are being cleaned by acid from ages but now a days faces of women are burning with this dangerous mixture of chemicals. Those who are accused can easily take bail and live normal life. But victims are forced to live alone. People bang doors on their faces. Children start crying to see the melted skin of an acid victim. Acid attack survivors live horrible lives beyond our imagination.

Wounds or scars can be healed but scars on their mind can never be healed.

Fourteen-year-old Laxmi Agarwal just wanted to take singing classes and grow up to become a singer. So when a 32-year-old man saw her and supposedly fell in love with her, she didn’t bother with him. The man stalked her, but Laxmi continued to reject his advances. Angered by her lack of interest in him, he threw acid on her face in 2005.

Her main attacker was out on bail within a month and he got married soon. Nobody wanted to be her friend. Laxmi gathered her strength and never stopped. She did not hide her face and fought the battle against society who rejected her without any fault. Her face was burnt, not her heart. Her face was changed but not her desires.

Normally girls don’t have courage to break the rules. Men are always allowed to live life as per their choices. Acid attack survivors are mostly blind but those who can see are not easily being accepted by the society. They are jobless and trying to rehabilitate on their own.

Lakshmi’s efforts to support other women and curb the sale of acid bore fruit, and in 2014, she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award by former US First Lady Michelle Obama, and she is now one of India’s foremost activists against acid attacks.

Acid attacks are social crime against women. It’s unbelievable that a person who loves someone, can destroy her entire life by throwing acid. It is increasing everywhere in the world.

Progressive countries are not far behind. Thousands of cases show the intolerance against women. Women are struggling to get gender equality from centuries. Gender discrimination is the main cause to this problem. Acid attacks are equally abhorrent as murder. It’s treatment is very expensive and can’t be afforded by many victims.

It kills their dreams but acid attack survivors have emerged as fighters against social norms. It takes courage to stand against evil.

After suffering an acid attack in 2005, Laxmi refused to be a victim and instead has championed the crusade against acid attacks in India.

Her only desire is to change the mentality of society against acid victims. Lakshmi demands specific law against acid attacks. The open sale of acid for domestic purposes should be controlled and preferrably banned. Acid attack victims must be given complete legal support to ensure they do not have to struggle a lot to get justice. Protection officers to deal with threats and potential risks to women’s safety must be appointed to stop acid attacks. In her opinion there are no specific laws against acid attacks. According to the organizations working on acid attacks, it is mostly women who are victimised of the acid attacks. A concrete law could be brought in effect if acid attacks are categorized under violence against women, physical, mental and sexual assault.

My opinion is slightly different. I am in favour of educating males so that they can easily tolerate the success of women.

Punishment is okay but changing the mindset of males should be our priority. Males don’t accept “No” from females. Make them understand the power of “No”. Hopefully many crimes will be avoided this way.

” Make her laugh, don’t char her face, She will rise from the ashes and shines like a star in the universe.”

Stop this shame when you can’t defame. Make love not scars on her face whom you claim to love.