Erased (Acid attacks in Cambodia)

Sok Rohan, 36 years old. Her husband’s previous wife threw acid on her in 1995. The attack affected most of her upper body, loosing part of her fingers, leaving her blind and with serious problems to move her neck. Her family fell into poverty paying for her operations. She now lives with her husband, father and three children.

Sukh Ti, 55 years old. He was a vegetable seller in Orussey Market when his cousin threw acid on him in 1994. He had his first and only surgical operation in 1997. He now begs for foreign tourists in front of Toul Sleung museum, the old prison where the Khmer Rouge jailed, tortured and killed up to 17.000 people. He lives with his wife and seven children, being the family's only bread-earner.

Prack Channa, 20 years old. She was attacked in 2007 by her lover's wife. She had to quit her job at a textile factory and now works as a cleaner in a centre for victims of acid, where she has been in treatment for 4 months.

Soum Bunnarith, left, 40 years old. He worked as a sales representative for Coca-Cola when his wife, pictured right, threw one litre of acid on him (purchased for US$1 on the street) believing that he was having an affaire with another woman. When the police captured her and confessed, he (worried for the luck of their four children) wrote a discharge letter and she was released. He now works as counsellor at the offices of CASC (Cambodian Acid Survivors' Charity) near Phnom Penh, also composing and singing songs against acid violence. He wants 'Justice, not Anger'

Thong Kham, 62 years old and one of the first victims of acid attacks in Cambodia. In 1989, when she was at the local market she was accidentally doused with acid when someone attacked a person near her, who died. After she was operated several times, it was only by meeting a surgical team by Médecins du Monde France that she recovered a minimum of mobility in her hands and neck. A nurse before the attack (shown here with an older picture of her on a holiday at the beach), she couldn't work after the attack and her husband divorced her. As she says, 'I don't know about others but for me, life is just a struggle'.

Chan Da, 35 years old and her daughter Srei Ta, 5 years old.

Chan Da's husband fell in love with his business partner and escaped to France, from where she arranged for five men to throw acid on Chan Da while she was driving a motorcycle together with her children. Srei Ta, sitting at the front, was also affected. The attack left Chan Da blind and unable to continue working as a cook, and she had to sell her house to cover expenses.

Although four of the five perpetrator have been jailed with sentences ranging from 10 to 14 years, the orchestrator of the attack has not been held accountable and, since the trial resulted in convictions, no legal aid providers have been found that are willing to take the case further.

Yim Sarun, 34 years old, worked as a security guard at a warehouse, providing for his family of eight people. He had an extra-marital relationship with a woman who, in a fist of jealousy, threw acid on his face. He lost one eye, his face was disfigured, and has problems to swallow or move the neck. He has undergone five operations, this picture being taken just days before the last one.

Yim lives now at the rehabilitation centre of CASC (Cambodian Acid Survivors' Charity) near Phnom Penh, where he is about to start training in agricultural production.

Yim Sarun (see previous picture), recovering from his fifth operation at CASC centre near Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian parliament is currently discussing a law to control the traffic and usage of acid in the country, since one of the biggest problems is the easy availability of sulphuric acid (in car batteries), nitric acid (jewellery fabrication) and hydrochloric acid (rubber production). Being unregulated and inexpensive, acid has become a choice weapon for settling disputes.

Keo Svey Vy, 36 years old.

One year ago, his brother-in-law tried to sell his own child in order to buy a motorcycle and she got into a fight with him who, enraged, threw acid on her.

Key Svey worked as a cook in Siem Reap. Her parents died during the civil war and his husband died of HIV-related complications in 2002, leaving her with four children. She now works as a cleaner, and with the help of CASC (Cambodian Acid Survivors' Charity), her eldest son is training to work as a cook.

Keo Svey Vy, (see previous picture). Just arrived back from hospital after her last operation, her injuries have to be cleaned twice a day, in a painful procedure common to most victims of acid attacks.

After the attack, Keo Svey was unable to pursue the child trafficking lawsuit against her brother-in-law and the case was dropped, even though other witnesses were present including an off-duty policeman and five more persons affected by the acid attack. All these witnesses have refused to testify in any legal proceedings.

Keo Svey Vy (see previous two pictures). As damaging as the physical injuries, most acid attack survivors suffer psychological effects. Depression is widespread, and rarely treated. Ashamed by their physical disfiguration, many survivors never leave their homes. According to Domnang Pin, Program Manager at CASC, the only reason suicide rates are not very high is because survivors very often have children and family members who depend on them.

Vong Srey Ly, 21 years old.

On the 17th of December 2009 she, along with four other friends, were burnt with acid in their home district of Kirivong, in Takheo Province near Phnom Penh. The perpetrator believed that Vong Srey Ly was having an affair with her brother-in-law, and attacked her (along with her friends, who were sitting next to her) after he denied the accusation.

The case was settled out of court, with the perpetrator receiving a four-year sentence, plus economic compensations.

Vong Srey Ly, (see previous picture).

Her case is exceptional because it went through the judicial system, but it also highlights the fact that many survivors settle the disputes outside the court room. If they were to launch full legal cases, then the perpetrators would recive harsher sentences.