Scarred survivors of acid attacks reveal the shocking stories - PHOTO

But less than two months after the marriage, Popy, now 22, found herself in hospital doubled up in pain. The reason? Her husband Prodeep, incensed by her family's inability to pay a dowry, had tricked her into drinking a glass of acid in a bid to murder her and clear the way to marriage with someone else.Tragically, Popy is by no means alone. At Jibontara Hospital in Dhaka, a specialist burns unit funded by the Acid Survivors Foundation, the wards are packed with men, women and children who have fallen prey to acid attacks.Globally, the majority of acid attacks occur in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Nepal and Uganda, although the numbers of British victims are increasing and include, most famously, model-turned-presenter Katie Piper.The reasons are legion, with many occurring between husbands and wives although others happen because of rejection, as a way of removing a business rival or even as revenge for a relationship gone wrong.One man who knows all too well the implications of what can happen when a business deal goes wrong is muezzin Abdul Kader, 47, who was left scarred for life after a cousin through acid in his face during a dispute over land.Others, such as Shyamol Kumar, 14, were caught in the crossfire when someone close to them was attacked. The teenager, who comes from the city of Debiganj in Bangladesh, was splashed with acid as he slept next to his mother - the intended target - one night.Now Shyamol, Popy and Abdul's stories have been brought together in a heartbreaking collection of photographs by Copenhagen-based Danish photographer, Ken Hermann, 35.'Popy was one of the hardest to photograph,' he reveals. 'She was really crying before we did the interview and pictures.' And for good reason: Since the attack, Popy's badly burned mouth, digestive tract, stomach and trachea have left her unable to eat without pain.'It was pretty shocking to see so many victims of acid attacks,' adds Mr Hermann, 'but apart from that, doing the shoot wasn't difficult. All the survivors were very friendly and helpful. When you start working, you get so focused on getting the right pictures that you almost forget how bad some of the victims look.'Particularly badly hurt was Umma Aysha Siddike Nila, now 22, who was 15 when she had acid thrown into her face and upper body by her husband, Akbar Hossain Jilhuq, a man 20 years older than she is.Like so many victims, Umma's injuries came about following a series of violent rows with her husband - rows that left her so traumatised, her parents had threatened to take her away from her husband.Sadly, they weren't in time to stop the attack which left Umma badly scarred and forced to give up her dreams of becoming a dancer. Nevertheless, Umma, who is currently studying for a degree in finance, has big plans for the future - much to delight of Hermann.'I really respect those people,' he adds. 'Some of them are very badly hurt and yet, they are still fighting to live as normal a life as possible which must be incredibly difficult following such a devastating attack.' Entitled Survivors, the project includes photos of 18 acid attack victims - all of whom come from Bangladesh, although the problem extends far beyond the south Asian country's borders.This is something Mr Hermann hopes to highlight. 'Not enough is being done to help these people, although things are getting better,' he says. 'The reason I wanted to do the project was to draw attention to the issue and make people aware that it's still going on.'Hopefully, that will mean fewer people will become victims in future. The Acid Survivor's Foundation has done a lot to help people in Bangladesh but much more could still be done.'(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az