Acid throwing, also called an acid attack,[1] a vitriol attack or vitriolage, is a form of violent assault[2][3][4] defined as the act of throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto the body of another "with the intention to disfigure, maim, torture, or kill".[5] Perpetrators of these attacks throw acid at their victims, usually at their faces, burning them, and damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones.[6] The most common types of acid used in these attacks are sulfuric and nitric acid. Hydrochloric acid is sometimes used, but is much less damaging.[7] The long term consequences of these attacks may include blindness, as well as permanent scarring of the face and body,[8][9][10] along with far-reaching social, psychological, and economic difficulties.[5]

Today, acid attacks are reported in many parts of the world. Since the 1990s, Bangladesh has been reporting the highest number of attacks and highest incidence rates for women,[11][12] with 3,512 Bangladeshi people acid attacked between 1999 and 2013.[13] Although acid attacks occur all over the world, this type of violence is most common in South Asia.[14]

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