Acid Survivor´s Foundation India

Sobre nosotros

Acid Survivors Foundation India (ASFI) purports to be the leading NGO in India for prevention of acid burn violence as well as for providing support services to survivors through a network of chapters and partners, by sharing knowledge, expertise and best practices.

ASFI acts as a forum for advocacy of acid related causes, endeavours to promote a social environment conducive to elimination of all forms of gender violence and espouses a firm legal basis for prosecution of offenders and prescription of national guidelines for treatment, aftercare and rehabilitation of acid survivors. Acid Survivors Trust India (AST-IND) was established in perpetuity at Kolkata as a registered nonprofit organization, thanks to a generous endowment by SREI Foundation, in February 2010:
• For public and charitable purposes;
• For setting up countrywide Centre for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of acid victims;
• For prevention and elimination of this menace by generating awareness through campaigns, public education, regulatory and other appropriate measures.
The name was later changed to Acid Survivors Foundation India (ASFI) when it became an In-Country Partner of Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), a London based charity and centre of excellence in this field.

ASFI´s Vision:
• To eradicate acid violence from India through social, educational and regulatory measures;
• To provide care and attention to acid survivors so that they can lead a life of worth, usefulness and dignity;
• To promote an enlightened attitude towards human rights, gender equality, women´s awakening and empowerment through various means.

ASFI´s Mission:
• To set up a network of chapters and collaborators throughout India to achieve the desired goal;
• To enable survivors of acid violence to access suitable medical facilities and psychosocial care;
• To help in establishing ´Healing and Recovery´ Centres that provide holistic attention to victims.
• To coordinate and collaborate with disparate agencies engaged in similar work for advocacy of acid related causes including adequate compensation, free or subsidized medical treatment, rehabilitation and exemplary punishment to culprits;
• To work for elimination of all forms of violence and discrimination against women and to bring about changes conducive to a humane society.

Our work:
• Preventive: ASFI arranged a seminar on "Acid Violence- Challenges & Remedies" which was attended by more than 100 participants from NGOs, lawyers, students, doctors. The seminars focused, inter alia, on the need to strictly enforcing the directives of the Supreme Court of India for regulating the sale of acids.
• Promotional: ASFI gives recommendations to address the problem of acid attacks, line department/organisation-wise.
• Care and Treatment: Trauma Informed Care Kit (TICK) – a new approach: ASFI with collaboration from experts in the field has formulated a toolkit to familiarize service providers, social workers and medical community with the new methodology. The above approach will be applied to female survivors who have suffered acid and burn violence. Physically, emotionally and psychologically devastated and caught in a seemingly irredeemable situation, this approach will benefit the neglected community of survivors who long to lead a life of normalcy.
• Rehabilitation: ASFI´s objective is to support the recovery of acid survivors by enabling access to treatment and rehabilitation, counseling and therapy, justice and hand holding, during their reintegration into society and to improve their quality of life.
• Legal Support: Sentenced To Life Imprisonment: Acid Survivors Foundation India whole heartedly supports the verdict of the Meerut Court which has sentenced three perpetrators relating to the acid attack on Ms Sonu Sharma in 2005.

Bikramjit Sen is the Deputy Director of the Headquarter of Acid Survivors Foundation India (ASFI).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.