Acid attack survivors network in Bangladesh - in pictures

Seventeen-year-old Neela Khatunis is one of more than 2,700 victims of acid attacks in Bangladesh over the past 10 years. 'My husband was angry ... because he claimed a dowry but my family couldn’t provide one,' she says. 'His plan was to sell me in Saudi Arabia – when I refused he threw acid on me then he fled'
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Forced into marriage at 12 years old, Neela was just 14 when her husband attacked her. Today, she keeps a photo of herself taken before the acid attack on her dressing table. Despite major surgery to reconstruct her face, Neela’s left ear remains completely destroyed
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Neela’s husband is now in jail, the result of a year’s campaigning by local charities including ActionAid. But few perpetrators are punished: of the 2,742 reported acid attacks in the last 10 years in Bangladesh, fewer than 450 have resulted in a conviction. Eyewitnesses remain too scared to testify and, due to lack of evidence, the courts reject many cases. Victims also suffer from psychological problems. Patients who are admitted to Dhaka Medical College – the only burns unit in the country – are offered long-term psychosocial support. A woman’s face is seen as sacred; to permanently scar it brings dishonour to the family and is seen as a public mark of shame
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Nurun Nahar, 31, works in women’s rights at ActionAid Bangladesh. She is also an acid survivor, attacked when she was 15 because she rejected a local schoolboy’s advances. With help from ActionAid, she founded the ASN
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Salina was also an acid attack victim. Acid attacks are a form of violent assault, often linked to 'honour' in parts of Asia. Poor women are usually the victims of these domestic attacks, perpetrated as revenge for refusal of marriage, sexual advances, or dowry payment, or land disputes
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Nurun and ASN members Salina, Swapna Sen and Neela at Salina's house reviewing legal papers. The ASN deals directly with about 45% of the country’s acid attack survivors, supporting victims and offering legal support. Where necessary, ASN will appoint lawyers who will work to stop a case being dismissed. ActionAid is also working to tighten the law to make it much harder for perpetrators to escape punishment
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Swapna, Neela and Nurun at an ASN meeting. Due to society’s rejection of victims, it can be difficult to provide support to the women and their families. 'When we try to get into the house of a victim, the problem will start outside. We will not be welcomed by the neighbours. The community will think [the attack] was deserved,' says Nurun
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Bangladesh is one of the world’s major exporters of textiles and even in remote regions the sulphuric acid used to produce colourful textile dyes is easy to get hold of. ASN has also been working with acid control committees to monitor the use and sale of acid
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Swapna and Neela in their home town of Sirajganj. Neela is one of 260 members ASN has helped. 'When ASN first came to visit me ... they also came to visit my parents and gave them support. I didn’t receive much help form the police and prosecutor, only the NGOs,' says Neela
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

'Since being part of the ASN I have made friends, so I feel like I have many people beside me – this is the way I got my strength and mental peace,' says Neela. She is now at college and works part-time as a district convenor for ASN
Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid

Members attend an ASN meeting. A vital part of ASN’s work is helping the women earn their own living – in places like beauty parlours. 'Earlier, the survivors wouldn’t leave their homes; now they are coming out. Through motivation workshops we have achieved this and they can speak for themselves,' says Nurun Photograph: Nicolas Axelrod/ActionAid