Acid attacks appear to be on the rise – what the numbers tell us about corrosive substances and crime
Retrieved on:
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
On January 31, Abdul Ezedi allegedly decanted a corrosive substance over a mother and her two children.
Key Points:
- On January 31, Abdul Ezedi allegedly decanted a corrosive substance over a mother and her two children.
- Thankfully, the injuries sustained by the victims were not life threatening, but the mother’s were described as “potentially life changing”.
How many acid attacks are there?
- However, this has since gone up again, with 710 attacks reported in 2022 (an increase of 70%).
- My research with colleagues into the motivations of acid offenders shows that attacks in countries including India, Bangladesh and Colombia are commonly misogynistic attacks by men against women.
- As is often the case with crime statistics, data on the number of acid attacks is patchy.
- Our research observed that in 455 cases of crimes involving acid, 15% were genuinely acid attacks but 32% actually involved household products such as bleach.
- The research found that acid was most likely to be used against a criminal rival, while household products were most likely to be used against a partner.
What is being done to prevent acid attacks?
- During the spike in acid attacks in 2017, convicted offenders were given heavy sentences, as a deterrent to others.
- The government’s serious violence strategy, published in 2018, placed a priority on acid attacks, and called for a public health approach to tackle serious violence.
- Thankfully, serious acid attacks like the one in Clapham are rare, though attacks where less serious injuries occur are more common.
Matt Hopkins receives funding from Home Office. I received a Home Office grant to study this in 2018 (which ended in 2020).