The Hindu

Key agency says it cannot shoulder the responsibility of rehabilitation 

• High Court directed the Government to help victims
• Health Department came out with a draft package

Bangalore, Dec 9: The special rehabilitation package proposed for acid attack victims in the State, which was lauded by activists, seems to be in a state of limbo now with one of the key agencies named in the proposal expressing reservations about the extent to which it can pitch in. In a letter to the State Public Prosecutor, the Women and Child Welfare Department has said that it "never promised" to shoulder the responsibility of rehabilitation.

It may be recalled here that after sentencing the accused to life imprisonment for throwing acid on 20-year-old Haseena, the Karnataka High Court, on August 22, 2006, issued a direction to the Government to provide special help and rehabilitation for acid attack victims. The Department of Health and Family Welfare came out with a draft rehabilitation package for victims.

Health and Family Welfare Department Commissioner Basavaraju, in a letter dated October 27 to the State Public Prosecutor, said, "The Health Department would like to provide health facilities to the victims and the Women, and Child Development Department is the appropriate department for taking up this issue and providing suitable rehabilitation package to the acid victims." He also stated that he had held discussions with the Director of the Women and Child Development Department, A.K. Monnappa, in this regard and "made him to agree to take up this rehabilitation programme."

But in his letter dated November 13 to the State Public Prosecutor, Mr. Monnappa said, "I never promised that our department has agreed to work out a special package for rehabilitation of these unfortunate victims."

Existing facilities

He went on to give details about existing rehabilitation facilities for victims of violence that would "probably include acid victims also." He mentioned facilities such as short-stay homes, vocational training and immediate compensation of Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000.

"The above programmes are by and large availed of by women belonging to the lower economic class, and therefore, it would be worthwhile to examine to what extent women who are acid victims would be willing to accept our rehabilitation package," he said.

This, however, is a far cry from the package envisaged especially for acid attack victims, who suffer severe disfigurement and burns that need prolonged and expensive medical and psychological attention.

The proposed package included medical, vocational, social and psychological support over a sustained period of time. It had suggested reimbursement of hospital expenses or free treatment, physiotherapy facility, free transportation, ambulance facility, free bus passes for attendants of victims during the period of treatment, provision of compensatory employment, legal assistance in court cases and so on.

Court's tough stand

In its judgment, the court had taken note of the fact that restorative surgeries cost a fortune and they were not affordable to ordinary people. Taking a tough stand on the issue, the court said it could not "shut its eyes to the obnoxious growing tendency of young persons resorting to the use of corrosive substances like acid for throwing on girls, causing not only severe physical damage but also mental trauma to the victims."