How Simar Sangla, 17, Works To Make Acid Attack Survivors Self-Reliant

During the COVID-19 lockdown, as Delhi-based Simar Sangla sat at home and spent time with her mother and grandmother, she not only deeply learned about the plight of acid attack survivors but also took a step forward in doing something for them. Today, Sangla runs a venture called Safe Cave, through which she makes handmade soaps especially curated keeping in mind acid attack survives. Her initiative also expands to helping survivors become self-reliant, learn about self-care, and gain the confidence they lost along the way.  

In an interview with SheThePeople, 17-year-old Simar Sangla discusses her initiative aimed at making acid attack survivors self-reliant, and why she works towards amplifying awareness around acid attacks, one surrounding at a time. 

The Purpose Behind Her Venture  

Sangla's purpose of contributing towards the cause of acid attack survivors was ignited by her house help's ordeal whose daughter was a survivor of an acid attack back in the village. "I was sitting with my mom and grandma during the lockdown one day when my house help got some products to consult with my grandma asking if they were safe for her daughter to use. It was in that conversation that I learned about how survivors' skin becomes receptive to only certain ingredients and that they have a challenging time when it comes to using products on their skin."

Sangla decided to dive deep into the subject and research about it; one thing led to another and she decided she wanted to bring her initiative to fruition.

It was after I researched about acid attacks in India and the aftermath that survivors face that I realised how the system at large is so unfair for them, and why there's so much more we can do to ensure they feel they belong. 

From Soap Making Venture To Developing Self-Reliance Workshops

As a teenager who had just entered her eleventh standard back then, Sangla managed to stay true to her initiative by working on it every day after school hours whilst not missing out on her curriculum at school. "My mother helped me a lot. She found online workshops and training modules so that I didn't have to go outside. I learned to make soap as my first task because I wanted to create a product that was suitable for survivors, and it stemmed from knowing Poonam Didi and her struggles closely. I attended workshops and learned how to make organic products. I then found the raw materials. I would go to school in the morning, return at 3 PM, study tuition and work on the venture post dinner."

From Making Handmade Products To Organising Workshops

In June 2022, Sangla visited Sheroes Cafe in Noida for the first time, where acid attack survivors work. When she first offered them the products she had made, they were a little hesitant to use them, which was understandable. So, she connected them to Poonam who had used the soaps. Being a survivor herself, Poonam explained to all how the product felt better on the skin than other market-sold ones. "After one month, when I called them again, they gave me positive reviews considering that our soaps are made of pure glycerine and aloe vera. They asked me for more and that's how I slowly expanded."

Sangla did not want her venture to just be limited to product selling, she wanted to make sure everyone knew her initiative aimed to uplift acid attack survivors hence she ensured that in her next pop-up, she took the help of two survivors so they do not just learn self-reliance but also learn more of their potential by meeting other people.

Why Acid Attack Survivors Need More Than Just Monetary Support 

Sangla calls out the regulatory authorities that have yet not managed to establish a stringent ban on acid across the country. "Yes, the sale may have reduced, but has acid been out of sale? No. Certainly not in smaller towns and villages, where you can find acid in several households."

Recent reports show how most acid attacks in India stemmed from a failed understanding of consent; of men not being able to take no for an answer. To this Sangla replies, "Crime against women is linked to a deep-rooted patriarchal and misogynist society that breeds violence against women, and this is something that has only risen in the past decade. COVID-19 gave rise to several domestic violence cases being reported. What's shocking when it comes to acid attacks is that despite the stringent punishment, this level of crime does not seem to stop."

Sangla is now connected to a foundation that works for acid attack survivors. She shares her experience of a cafe in Agra that employs acid attack survivors and how her collaboration with them furthered her cause. "I was a cafe in Agra that is run by acid attack survivors and looking at people coming and supporting them made me realise that apart from monetary support and financial independence, survivors require love, respect and acceptance. Have they done anything wrong to deserve what happened to them? No. Does that incident define who they are? No. Then why should they be ashamed? Why should they hide their faces?"

When it comes to soreading the right kind of awareness, Sangla's vision seems direct. "I don't have that psychological training to help survivors, and I understand most people don't either, but we can adopt a much simpler way to be kinder. We can start with our own homes, schools and surroundings. I'd say, if you can't help them, do not mock them, because how does that do you good? At a time when the world is seeing a wreckage of humanity, empathy is what will guide us home."

Transforming Change, One Survivor At A Time

Sangla is often asked by the students in her school why she chose this cause considering it is challenging and can also take a toll. "I believe everyone has their personal choices. They find me strong for doing this because it's not easy, and that's where awareness and more sensitisation needs to come in."

As someone who has now heard several human stories of survivors, Sangla understands that there are only some areas she can work to improve; for when it comes to the prevention of crime, taking stringent action and making spaces safer for women, society's collective consciousness needs to awaken. 

Those in control should help in this regard too because it's high time acid sale is banned, and not just on paper. Going further, chemists too need to take this as a social responsibility to not sell acid to anyone who comes by and asks for it. Elimination of a crime of this loevel requires collective effort.