Founded | 2002 |
---|---|
Type | Non-governmental organisation |
Focus | To put an end to acid violence and create a world where survivors can live in dignity and without fear. |
Location |
|
Key people | Jaf Shah (Executive Director) The Princess Royal (Patron) |
Website | acidviolence |
Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) is a UK-based international non-profit organization founded in 2002. It is a registered charity under English law.[1][2] ASTI works to promote and protect the survivors of acid and burn violence, with the aim of ending acid violence globally.[1][2] In addition to public education and awareness campaigns, ASTI has worked with and sustains organizations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Uganda.[1]
The organisation has been involved in multiple campaigns, including those to introduce acid laws in Cambodia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. ASTI are actively involved in administering medical support for survivors. Former ASTI trustee Dr. Ron Hiles OBE, has performed over one thousand reconstructive surgery operations and trained hundreds of surgeons, who have treated thousands of patients. In 2016, The Trust Law/Thomson Reuters Foundation shortlisted ASTI for a Solicitors Journal Award for Working in Partnership with J Sagar Associate, Baker & McKenzie and P&G Asia for the comparative law study that looked at acid laws in the UK, India, Cambodia and Colombia (see research).[citation needed]
ASTI's impact abroad has been primarily centred on providing aid and support to attack survivors, whilst challenging common misconceptions around victimhood. For example, ASTI launched a two-year programme in collaboration with local partners Burns Violence Survivors Nepal and Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan in the delivery of a British Government Department for International Development funded project.
Acid violence is considered gender-based violence in many countries as it affects women disproportionately.[3] The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) describes gender-based violence as "violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately".[4]
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Cambodia have all ratified this convention yet are countries where acid violence is predominantly perpetrated by men against women.[3]
Alongside its local partners, ASTI has played a central role in the fight to tackle root causes of acid violence, ensure proper justice for survivors and prevent further attacks.[5] The following are examples of ASTI's work in changing laws:
ASTI is often called on for expert comment whenever an acid attack is reported in the media. ASTI has featured in and provided material for coverage of acid violence in media outlets including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, CNN, The Independent, The Guardian, and The New York Times.
In October 2023, several media outlets reported on the ASTI investigation showing a sharp rise in the number of attacks in England and Wales.[15][16][17][18][19]