The next time you walk down a busy city street enjoying the sunshine, consider how, for many women in India, this pretty scene could turn violent in seconds. According to the BBC , more than a thousand women annually are brutally attacked with nitric or sulfuric acid, leaving many blinded, unable to use their hands, and horrifically scarred. In turn, they are often ostracized and can't find work. Additionally, in communities of women that rely on financial support from their husbands, those attacked by acid rarely get married, leaving them in extreme poverty.
In recent years, campaigns like Stop Acid Attacks have been spotlighting these unbelievable crimes in order to rally support for survivors. You may remember this heartbreaking makeup tutorial created by one survivor. Now, Delhi-based photographer Niraj Gera is celebrating their bravery β and slamming discrimination against them β in a breathtaking, deeply emotional portrait series, "Sacred Transformations.
Gera, who has surprisingly only been taking professional photos since , specializes in street photography. But when he met directors and members of the Chhanv Foundation , an organization that creates a safe space for acid attack survivors in , he was seriously moved to help them.
They needed to be taken seriously, and accepted in the society with the much-required sensitivity. He added, "sensitivity paves the way for tolerance and mutual respect. It also generates courage to speak up for any wrong in society. At first, it wasn't easy to convince these women to pose for the camera.
But Gera worked carefully to create a comfortable environment, and the shoots resulted in some emotional moments. Once you see these images, you will be too. Like all high-quality art, Gera's series makes the viewer think hard about the topic.
