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India’s cafe for ‘sheroes’

Cafe run by acid attack survivors aims to remove stigma and also offers opportunity for financial independence.

Staff members take a moment before starting their day at the cafe. According to an ACID Survivors Foundation India [ASFI] report, there have been 518 recorded cases of acid attacks from January 2010 to July 2014.
By Sanjay Pandey
Published On 1 Dec 2014

Agra, India– A new cafe in the Indian city of Agra, besides serving coffee, aims to remove the stigma surrounding victims of acid attacks.

Cafe Sheroes’ Hangout, an initiative started by the Stop Acid Attacks campaign and the Chaanv Foundation, hopes to spread awareness of acid attacks by having survivors like Chanchal, Ritu, Rupa and Geeta run it.

The cafe also houses a library, a community radio hub and a boutique corner that showcases Rupa’s work. 

Rupa, 22, wanted to be a designer but the attack delayed the realisation of her ambition. “Earlier, I used to cover my face with a scarf but not any more. Though I never gave up on my dream, I did not think that it would be possible one day.” In August, she launched her own collection called Rupa Design.  

“The idea behind opening this cafe 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.” 

Priyanka Singh, one of the customers at the cafe, couldn’t agree more: “It’s for a good cause. The idea is to rehabilitate the acid-attack victims and make them financially independent. I came out here to support the cause.”

The idea for the cafe came from the founders who thought it would be an innovative way for survivors to earn a living.

“Most of these survivors are unlikely to get married. Hence, making them self-reliant is important so that they find a place in the mainstream [society],” Shukla added.

Sheroes is a play on the word hero, Shukla said, their way of honouring acid attack survivors.

Rupa, a survivor, manages the library corner of the cafe. The northern states of UP, Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana account for the highest number of acid attacks in the country.
Rupa dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and did not give up on her dream even after being attacked. In August she launched her first collection.
Females aged 10 to 30 are the usual targets of acid attacks in India.
With the amendment in the Indian Penal Code in February 2013, incidents of acid attacks are now being recorded as a separate offence. 
According to organisations like Acid Survivors Foundation, around 65 percent of the total number of acid attack victims are women.
While there are no consistent official figures, a New Delhi hotline for victims received 56 complaints of acid attacks in the first quarter of 2013.
The state of West Bengal in eastern India comes third with 60 cases between 2010 and 2014.
Such attacks don(***)t seem to be slowing down even after 318 people were arrested and 305 prosecuted in 225 cases between 2010 and 2012, according to government data.
While most attackers are strangers, some have fallen prey to the wrath of relatives and spouses. Ritu, who was injured in one eye when her father threw acid on her and her mother, says: (***)Nobody would give us jobs but Sheroes is changing that mindset. It is great to be self-reliant and not to depend on other people(***)s mercy.(***)
Many of the handicraft work on display are done by the survivors and are available for purchase.
The cafe also runs workshops, training survivors on how to use computers and social media as a tool for empowerment. Rupa says: Sheroes Cafe is giving us control over our lives. Our patrons have been very supportive. It seems that the society is learning to accept us the way we are. It is the beginning of the end of stigmatisation.(***)
Some of the survivors pose with Mrs India runner-up Dr Shivangi Maletia.
The founders see the cafe as an innovative way for the survivors to make a living and to remove the stigma attached to acid attack victims.