Tes Pha, the victim of a severe acid attack in Battambang province, sits on a bed at Children’s Surgical Centre in Phnom Penh last year. Acid attack numbers are down, but perpetrators are still unlikely to face punishment

 Two years after Cambodia’s Acid Law took effect, and one year after a subsequent sub-decree further regulated the dangerous substance, significant hurdles remain in securing justice for victims of acid attacks, according to a paper published in the Cambodian Law and Policy Journal on Sunday.

In her paper, “Achieving Justice for the Survivors of Acid Violence in Cambodia”, Sharon Beijer outlines a host of factors hampering the effective implementation of the Kingdom’s acid laws. Among the key areas of concern are the absence of witness-protection programs, a lack of expertise on the part of judges and prosecutors, and persistent attitudes – even among court officers – that victims “deserved their fate”.

Continue reading: Justice still elusive for acid victims