Reclaiming Her Life

*This story contains sensitive content and distressing themes of acid attacks and assault. The content may be triggering for individuals who have experienced or are sensitive to violence, abuse or related topics.

Chhean was a cook in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a widow and sole provider of four children when she discovered one day, that her brother-in-law had sold his two year old daughter to a trafficking ring. She confronted him and demanded he get his daughter back otherwise she would report him. In response, a week after the confrontation, he drove by on his motorcycle while Chhean was working and threw acid on her. It burned her face, eyes, shoulders, left hand and entire left side of her back.

Another woman, Ponleu, experienced a similar form of violence. At 18, she married an older man who was emotionally and physically abusive. After years of enduring his abuse, she gave birth to a daughter. When she finally found the courage to ask for a divorce, the man doused Ponleu with gasoline and lit her on fire in front of their three year old daughter.

In Cambodia, acid attacks and burns violence against women are common and widespread, however the survivors often find themselves without adequate legal, medical and psychological support.

Chhean couldn’t afford medical care and thinking she would never be able to work again and support her family, she battled with thoughts of suicide. Ponleu spent her entire savings on medical treatment and was so ashamed of how she looked, she avoided leaving the house.

Both women eventually found the support they needed through Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC), a local organization receiving funding from the UN Trust Fund. CASC offers holistic support to survivors of acid burns violence and runs a commune where survivors can access a range of services and support ranging from medical and legal assistance to skills training and peer support.

At a national level, CASC has contributed to draft legislation to regulate the sale of acid and to provide harsher criminal sentences to perpetrators.

Chhen believes if a law had been in place prior to her attack, it would have saved her, “He would not have dared to throw acid on me because he would have been afraid to be sent to prison.”

Both Chhean and Ponleu receive ongoing medical care and employment support at CASC today. The two woman have also become powerful pillars in the community through their support for other survivors of burn violence.