Apr 10, 2022
Acid Attack
A fiction story of a girl’s struggle against acid attacks.
It was a bright day. Laleh was going to a supermarket to buy some groceries for home. While she was on her way, two men on a motorcycle came close to her car. One of them threw acid on her face and then they ran away.
Half of her face got burned. When some local people saw her situation, they took her to a hospital where she got basic treatment.
After that, the case was taken to the Police. On the street where the attack was done, video cameras were available. But the Police never caught the criminals.
In the same year, there were other similar cases. But those responsible for crimes never got caught. These attacks were directed toward women who were not wearing conservative clothes in the country.
Laleh’s family tried hard to get police support to catch criminals, but they failed. Then she began advocating for women affected by acid attacks. Several people criticized her for raising her voice. And it was very embarrassing for her to go in front of people because of the change in her facial skin after the attack. But she didn’t give up. She made it her mission to find and expose people who were responsible for these attacks.
Different affected women joined her in the cause and demanded the government take action to stop acid attacks and find the perpetrators. The government said it is trying to investigate the matter and soon criminals will be captured.
Two years passed, and the situation didn’t change. But Laleh didn’t lose courage. She kept speaking, raising her voice on every platform for the protection of women against brutal acid attacks. Women around the country began looking at her as their hope. She was at the peak of popularity among her people.
But soon, she began receiving life-taking threats from some unknown people. They instructed her to stop raising awareness regarding acid attacks. But she continued her work with full dedication.
When the perpetrators saw she was not quitting, they killed her father to break her confidence. It was a devastating time for her. Due to her life’s concerns, Laleh’s mother and other family members asked her to stop her mission.
“Murdering your father is a message for you that if you will not stop, they will kill you, too. We are worried about your life, Laleh,” said her mother.
“I am not a coward, mom. I will fight till my last breath and will expose the criminals.”
She continued her struggle with more enthusiasm than ever before.
One day a government official who was against acid attacks and was an admirer of Laleh’s work met her secretly and revealed that these attacks were made with the involvement of different authorities to discourage women from adopting a liberal way of dressing. She felt a huge sorrow when he told her this. Because she never imagined that the government itself was behind all these crimes.
Then she publicly revealed this thing in front of the media. She didn’t tell the name of the government official who gave her information. But she said that she has a witness of government orders regarding acid attacks. The supreme court of the country took notice of this thing. And called her to court with her witness.
Laleh was on the way to court with her security guard when a van followed her and began firing on her car. The security guard tried hard to protect her, but he lost his life, and then killers from the van targeted her. Multiple bullets were fired at her and one of them touched her shoulder. The driver smartly drove the car and somehow managed to move out of the danger zone. He took her to the hospital, where an operation took place to extract the bullet from her shoulder.
When the court heard about the incident, they decided to provide special security to Laleh so that she could reach the court safely.
The next day, she went to court. And that government official also reached it. Then he told the court about government involvement in acid attacks. He also provided some proof in the form of video recordings in which government officials were making the plans for acid attacks.
The judges then called the government to answer allegations and visible proof. A government lawyer reached the court and denied all the allegations. He further said that the government official is lying and that the video recordings are fake.
The court investigated the originality of video recordings and came to the conclusion that they are real. Then the judges ordered tough penalties for all responsible members of the government and put them in jail. The court stated that,
“If any acid attack happens now, the government directly will be held responsible for that. No government department has any right to tell women of the country what they should wear or not. No one has any authority to do acid attacks just because they are offended by women’s clothing.”
Laleh was so happy with the court’s decision. It was not only her victory but the victory of all those women who saw her as their hope. It was because of her struggle and continued efforts that she inspired a government official to reach out and reveal the responsible people behind acid attacks.
Fifteen days passed, and it was midnight. Some people broke Laleh’s door lock and entered her room. Without wasting a single minute, they shot her and then quickly ran away from the home. When Laleh’s family heard the sound of bullets, they immediately reached her room. But until then, she was dead.
The court assured that murderers will soon be captured. The loss of Laleh’s life was a huge cause of sorrow for all those women for whom she was an inspiration. They all felt that their hope had disappeared. But they also knew that Laleh’s death was not a failure of her struggles. It was a symbol of her courage and bravery because she never gave up and fought for the rights of women. The thing that failed was the authorities that claim to take care of the life of citizens and the law that stands against brutality.
