BANGLADESH-SOCIETY-ACID VICTIMS

Bangladeshi women disfigured in an acid attack sing at an event to mark the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Acid Survivors' Foundation (ASF) in Dhaka, 12 May 2004. ASF was founded in 1999 with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency and UNICEF, it began to systematically document the scope and frequency of acid violence in the country since consistent statistics had been lacking until that point. 2003 marked the first decrease in the annual number of reported attacks, from 485 in 2002 to 410 in 2003. But the first three months of 2004 have already reversed in that trend, with 72 reported attacks compared to 55 during the same period last year. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)