The Terror of Acid Attacks
BY: Juliana Gnecco, Maria Jose Fonseca, & Juanita Orrego
For the past 10 years, acid attacks have been becoming more and more common in Colombia. Even though acid throwing can happen all over the world, Colombia is one of the most affected countries. Acid attacks are a form of violence against another person by contorsioning their bodies using acid.
The acid that the attackers use is commonly sold. In Bogotá, these acids are most commonly sold in the southern part of the city, just like where most of the attacks happen. The reason behind most of these acts of violence are the most common reasons of all: hate and revenge. Although, the intentions might be to torture, disfigure, or kill the
person being attacked by simply throwing the acid on them.
There is a lot of damage done to the person after the attack. The damage is not only physical; it’s emotional and psychological. According to Juan Pablo Gnecco, a surgeon, “acid burns are becoming easier to treat.” This means that hospitals are training their doctors more to treat their future patients with acidic burns. But sometimes the burns are too severe. For example, eyesight and hearing loss may happen if the damage was done to the ears or eyes. Hair loss and skull/ bones can dissolve if it’s done to the head. Speaking and eating can become a problem if the acid is thrown onto or near the region of the mouth. Some other problems can be renal failure, skin depigmentation (loss of skin color), respriratory problems, scars, and in some cases death.
Natalia Ponce de Leon is probably the most recognized acid burn victim. She was attacked in March of 2014. She suffered from facial damage, along many other problems. She had facial reconstruction done, and is now a national phenomenon. Police and detectives found that the person behind the attack was Jonathan Vega, who was sentenced to 30 years in jail. Detectives also found that he was schizophrenic. Schizophrenia is a disease in the brain that affects the way the person thinks and acts, which sometimes leads them to harm themselves and/or others.
Most people are asking: what is the government trying to do? In Colombia, the government is trying to decrease the selling of these acids. Now, if anyone wants to purchase these acids, they will need a special permit from INVIMA. Also, the government is trying to only have big, trustworthy companies sell the acids.
But there is still a really big problem. The people. Some, but not all Colombian citizens are still terrified and have one specific stereotype. The stereotype is that Colombia is not safe and is never going to be safe. Even if the goverment accomplishes everything they are tring to promise, the people might still not believe them. Even though one of the biggest problems is the acid attacks, one even bigger problem is gaining the trust of the people. Hopefully in the future, many of the citizens will trust each other and learn that Colombia is not as dangerous as it seems.
Bogota - Colombia
