Acid victims given prospects

Mom Kunthear and Will Baxter

Phnom Penh Post

Kandal province
AS a boy, Van Sopheak hoped to be a doctor. When he was in Grade 9, however, the Kampong Cham province native was attacked in his sleep by an unknown assailant who splashed acid over his face and torso.

The reasons for the attack remain unknown, but its effects were both serious and obvious. Fearful of discrimination from his peers, he stopped going to school and has had trouble finding work ever since.

“I wished to be a good doctor when I graduated, but everything failed. My plan melted away,” he said yesterday. “I started to look for a job after my wounds were treated, but I could not find a good one – only as a construction worker.”

Two weeks ago, Van Sopheak, now 27, became the first acid attack victim to sign up for an agriculture livelihoods programme run by the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity. This week, the charity held a two-day workshop in Kandal province where survivors were invited to join the programme, which is intended to foster skills that might otherwise be difficult to acquire because of the social stigma related to their injuries.

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