Acid attacks skyrocket by 10% as campaigners warn of rise in violence against women and girls

Independent

17 hours ago

An alarming rise in acid attacks has been recorded across the UK, with women and girls now accounting for a third of all victims.
Data from police forces show 498 physical attacks involving corrosives were recorded in 2024, a 10 per cent increase from the 454 incidents reported in 2023.
Research carried out by the charity Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) found that such attacks not only have devastating impacts on the victims, but result in a considerable cost to the economy.
On average, a single attack can cost £63,000 in medical and psychological support, meaning that the overall average cost of these physical attacks in 2024 would be in the regions of £31m.
While historically, acid attacks have been associated with male-on-male violence and gang activity, data from police forces revealed that 74 victims out of 224 physical attacks, where gender data was provided, were female.
In addition, women made up 62 per cent of victims when there had been a threat of an acid attack made against them, an increase from 59 per cent in 2023. This involves the threat of a corrosive attack as a tool of coercion or intimidation alongside other serious crimes such as rape or robbery.
Despite the population served by Northumbria Police making up just two per cent of the country's population, 24 per cent of all acid attacks were recorded in the region, followed by the Metropolitan Police in London.
Jaf Shah, Executive Director at ASTI, said: 'Our new data shows that acid violence remains prevalent in the UK. The rise in physical acid attacks is deeply concerning – particularly the sharp increase in Northumbria, even as numbers fall in London.
'Tackling this issue means addressing the wider challenges of socio-economic inequality, deprivation, and gang involvement, while also holding retailers to account.
'It's vital we address how easily offenders are able to access corrosive substances in the first place. We urgently need stricter controls on sales, especially from online retailers, alongside better reporting and more investment in prevention to stop corrosive substances being weaponised.'
The analysis from ASTI found that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of acid attacks were recorded by Northumbria Police, despite the region only holding two per cent of the UK's population.
The West Midlands has also seen an 82 per cent increase in the number of physical attacks between 2023 and 2024, with the charity noting that attacks frequently occur in areas that have been impacted by economic deprivation and high levels of poverty.
Professor Francisco C Figueiredo, MD, PhD, FRCOphth, Professor of Ophthalmology at Newcastle University, said: 'Corrosive substance attack (CSA) to the eye is a serious injury that can cause substantial damage, potentially leading to significant visual loss/blindness.
'In our data, the most serious injuries tend to be on victims of attack, often young white male. The evidence also indicates that most of the attacks take place in deprived areas.
'Further building on the information released by ASTI, our data has also shown an alarming rise in the Northeast of England in the incidence of CSA over the last few years. In our region, the most common corrosive substance used in attacks is ammonia, which tends to cause significant damage to the surface of the eye, penetrating deeper into the tissue, consequently causing more severe damage.
'In view of this new data, there is an urgent need to create a strong partnership between multiple public health agencies which can work together towards a shared goal by setting up an elimination programme with clear targets. It is time to make elimination of corrosive substance attack our goal.'