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Salford woman is victim of racist acid attack

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Urban Underpass

Heather Kennedy
WVoN co-editor 

A woman who was walking through an underpass with her six month old baby in north west England last week had acid thrown at her.

A man allegedly shouted racist and sexist abuse at the woman, who is black, before throwing acid over her chest and back.

The baby was unharmed but the woman, 29, is in hospital recovering from burns. Her condition is stable.

The woman did not know her attacker and the incident is being treated as a racist hate crime.

Greater Manchester police have released an e-fit of the attacker and they are appealing to the public for witnesses.

Detective constable Jim Harris, of Greater Manchester Police, said it was “an appalling attack on a lady who was walking with her very young baby.

“Thankfully none of the corrosive liquid hit the baby or went on the victim’s face as the incident could have been a lot worse than it already is”.

Residents of Pendleton in Salford, where the attack took place, are particularly concerned because the incident occurred in broad daylight, in a busy shopping area directly opposite the police station.

Members of the community have called on police to do more to protect people, particularly ethnic minorities and women.

Installing CCTV which runs directly to the police station and increasing police patrols of the area have been suggested as measures to improve safety.

The vast majority (about 80 per cent) of victims of acid attacks are women. Often, attackers are motivated by a desire to subjugate the woman, robbing her of her identity, appearance and independence.

Attacks are rarely fatal, but they can leave women disabled, isolated from society and coping with serious psychological consequences. Acid is strong enough to dissolve bone and often causes blindness and extreme disfigurement.

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