Reshma Quereshi was only 17 years old when she was attacked by her estranged brother-in-law, and two other men—the assailants used sulfuric acid to permanently disfigure the young girl. According to Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) 1,500 acid attacks are reported worldwide every year, however, this figure is unreliable as many cases of acid violence go unreported. According to Jaf Shah, the executive director of the ASTI, these acts of violence go unreported "…for fear there might be reprisals from the perpetrators due to the fact that survivors and their immediate family have no confidence in the police or the judiciary to take action." The majority of victims are women and children. Most of the reported cases come out of India—Quereshi is from Allahbad—and are often used as a tactic of revenge by spurned husbands or suitors. The ASTI refers to acid violence as a “global phenomenon” and points out that acid assaults have been reported in countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Columbia and the United Kingdom. In some areas attacks such as these are on the rise.
Quereshi underwent a series of excruciating skin grafts, and her injuries were so severe that she lost an eye. Acid attacks are not meant to kill, but to impose unrelenting physical and psychological pain on survivors. Perpetrators often aim for the upper body, and face, to maim and blind targeted individuals. Eventually, Quereshi met the founder of Make Love Not Scars, Ria Sharma, and became the face of the organization’s online video campaign which has been viewed by over 1.3 million people. Make Love Not Scars began as a college project for Sharma, but one thing led to another and the official group was born. The relationship between Sharma and Quereshi led to Quereshi’s appearance on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week (NYFW). This past Thursday night she opened the FTL Moda show dazzling audiences in a long-sleeve, embroidered gown by Indian designer Archana Kochhar. At 19, this was Quereshi’s first trip to the United States.
Quereshi hopes that her appearance on the catwalk will promote the need for a ban on inexpensive corrosive substances which are readily available all around the world. She also hopes that her appearance at NYFW will help to foster hope for survivors of acid violence. "No one else understands what an acid attack is except the survivors themselves," Quereshi remarked. "I do not want this to happen to anyone else." If you would like to contribute in the global fight against acid violence please look into donating to either the ASTI (http://www.acidviolence.org/) or Make Love Not Scars (http://makelovenotscars.org/). Both websites have the option to donate, and both offer information about survivors.
