Pakistan: Acid Attacks Continue Despite Tougher Penalties
Monday, June 4, 2012
Despite recent changes to Pakistani law that increased sentences from 14 years to life imprisonment and imposed fines of up to $11,000 for acid attacks, the attacks continue. Reports also suggest that many incidents still go unreported or receive minimal police attention. Although the new laws closes a loophole that allowed perpetrators to avoid prison time through negotiated settlements, the law is not retroactive and perpetrators who reached settlements before the change in the law will escape criminal penalties.
Compiled from: Alpert, Emily, Before and After an Acid Attack, Los Angeles Times (28 March 2012); Rodriguez, Alex Pakistan Offers Little Justice for Victims of Acid Attacks, Los Angeles Times (29 May 2012).
For More Information
Please visit the Acid Attacks section in the Drafting Legislation on Harmful Practices section of the Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence Against Women and Girls.
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