In the city of love, a café is working to change lives of acid attack victims

Acid attacks in India are, unfortunately, not uncommon. Although the victims get media attention every once in a while, and even “justice” in the eyes of the government, life after any such incident is anything but easy for them. The scars — both physical and emotional — are permanent and society makes sure you never forget them. Getting a job is difficult and any thoughts of getting married and leading a normal life are dangerous to harbour. [caption id=“attachment_2419542” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sheroes Hangout. Twitter @cosasdemiriam[/caption] So any effort, no matter how small, by the government or private individuals to help the survivors serves as a silver lining. Sheroes Hangout, a café in Agra close to the Taj Mahal is one such one such place working to make a difference. An initiative by the Stop Acid Attacks campaign and the Chaanv Foundation, the café hopes to spread awareness of acid attacks by having survivors run it. “The new wave feminism evolves at the Hangout through critical issues that cripple women and devoid them of equal opportunities. The irony is such issues are abundant in South-Asian cultures, and it is this irony that pushed our Sheroes to set this Hangout here, in the city that boasts of the monument of love,” reads a message on the café’s website. “The idea behind opening this café was not only to run a business but also to run an activity centre to spread awareness,” Ashish Shukla, a lead campaigner for Stop Acid Attacks, told Al Jazeera. “People think that acid attack victims are from the outer world. Sheroes is an effort to make them believe that they are from this world only. Since we as a society are responsible for their scars, it is our responsibility to fix it and bring them into the mainstream of society.” Situated at the Fatehabad Road opposite the Taj Mahal Gateway, the café took almost a month to be come up with an initial investment of about Rs 3 lakh, much of which was raised by a website dedicated to Nitu, an acid attack survivor, reported  DNA. The café’s initiative is making rounds on social media and its popularity, according to the nonprofit–reflect a shifting attitude toward survivors of acid attacks and to the crime itself in India, where around 309 cases were reported in 2014, reported the Wall Street Journal. But the shift in attitude of the customers it serves and the lives of acid attack victims it employs, as one would expect, is not an overnight phenomenon. The Sheroes team is still adapting to their roles. Dealing with tourists is hard, as the staff doesn’t always speak English. Their impaired vision and wounds also mean they regularly miss work for check-ups, reported  Outlook. In a city which is synonymous with love, a little love for the survivors is uplifting and welcome.