Violence in the form of acid attacks have been commonplace in South Asian countries like Bangladesh, India and Pakistan for decades. But now it’s an unfortunate trend on a steady rise in London, where students as young as 12 have been arrested for committing acid attacks — at school.
Acid has replaced the knife as the “school weapon of choice” because of how much easier it is to conceal–hidden in a water bottle, acid or ammonia can be splashed or squirted onto a victim’s face, leaving them blinded or disfigured for life.
According to a report in The Sun, gang culture is to blame for the London’s spike in acid-based violence as students have been caught carrying drink containers full of corrosive liquids “for self-defense.”
Speaking to the newspaper, anonymous students from London schools said children practice what’s known as “dosing,” and revealed how they acquire and conceal the dangerous substances.
One teenager who spoke to The Sun said that schoolchildren fill their water bottles with corrosive household cleaners, which are much easier to use than a knife and much easier to obtain. He told the paper that he has kept a “dose” with him since he was 12 to defend himself.
“A lot of people ain’t got the heart to stab people,” he said. “It’s just easier to squirt someone.”
There’s little doubt that acid-based violence is on the rise. One schoolboy was arrested in February for an attack that left two teenagers and a man scalded after they were splashed with a “noxious substance” during a football match in Dagenham, east London. Just days later, three other students were arrested for another alleged attack at the Sydney Russell School, also in Dagenham.
Earlier this month, a couple and their two-year-old son were injured in an acid attack in North London. The attack occurred when they were out for a walk with their toddler in a stroller. The father is said to have suffered “life-changing” injuries over the assault.
Most notably, an acid attack on April 17th at a trendy night club in Northeast London left two revelers partially blinded and others disfigured. After a nationwide manhunt, cops raided an upscale home in Northamptonshire, tasering and capturing the prime suspect, Arthur Collins, a laborer who’s the boyfriend of a British reality TV star named Ferne McCann.
The Metropolitan Police in London says that the number of acid attacks has seen a steep increase, from 261 in 2015 to 454 in 2016. Authorities are presently working with schools to tackle the alarming issue.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
