The thought of a man throwing acid on a woman’s face to disfigure and blind her is so horrific, it may shock you to learn that acid attacks are a global issue, accounting for around 3000 attacks across Europe each year. Closer to home in Australia, there have been 21 known cases since 2009 – three in 2022 alone. And yet, when it comes to acid attacks, Australia has no formal data collection or prevention program. 

The issue came to the attention of Australia’s federal government in 2022 when a parliamentary screening of Geeta, a documentary about acid attack survivors in India, preceded a parliamentary hearing. After women featured in the film testified before a human rights subcommittee, an Australian member of parliament called for wide-ranging changes to the way the country handles this most barbaric form of gender violence. 

Based on stories told in Geeta, Maria Vamvakinou, Labour Federal MP, said Australia must improve funding and research on acid attacks, improve record keeping across the police, health and legal systems, and strengthen family violence laws – including making it harder for potential perpetrators to access acid.