Tadwein Center for Gender Studies announces the launch of a campaign (#Acid_Attacks #The Story_did_not_end) during the sixteen international days against violence against women during the period from November 25^th to December 10^th 2017, to shed light on the crime of mutilating women’s bodies with incendiary materials or acid as a form of violence against women, as this crime is not looked at, and has no official statistics are available, and there are no laws criminalizing it. It is worth noting that this crime is not yet defined in the Egyptian Penal Code. It is included in the beating crimes that are regulated by Articles 240, 241 and 242 of the Penal Code.

Women are the most groups of society that are subjected to this type of violence, and in most cases these attacks are directed by males who are known to them in their social environment. Research and studies all over the world record a steady increase in the rates of women’s exposure to these attacks. These attacks cause severe pain and burns for women and girls, from which they may not survive, and lead to physical disfigurement and long-term psychological damage such as depression, suicidal thoughts, and social isolation. In many cases, it may lead to physical disabilities such as loss of vision and inability to hear. Survivors of acid attacks suffer from extremely difficult social and economic problems. They live socially stigmatized, their movement is restricted in public areas, and their ability to join the labor market and provide an adequate income that guarantees them a decent life is reduced.

The campaign aims to draw the attention of policy makers and legislators to the need to combat this type of violence against women and girls. It also aims to attract the attention of the media and women’s rights organizations in Egypt to adopt new legislation and laws that guarantee the protection of women and girls from such attacks, and toughen penalties for criminals, making these crimes a crime that does not have a statute of limitations. The campaign also works on the development of new measures and mechanisms of action that would support survivors of acid attacks.

Moreover, the campaign aims to support survivors of acid attacks or incendiary materials by shedding light on their daily suffering and ways of coexisting with their painful reality after the violation.

The campaign has a hashtag for blogging and tweeting via Twitter (@tadwein).

The campaign receives stories and testimonies of women and girls via e-mail: (info@tadwein.org).