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In India, the rate of acid attacks is at an all-time high.
A 2021 study published in the sexual exploitation and violence journal Dignity found India continues to top countries around the world with the highest rate of acid attacks every year, ranging from 250 to 300 incidents.
Women tend to be the targets, and there's a reason why. In India, acid attacks are one of the most prominent forms of violence against women and a common act of domestic violence. The 2021 study reports women make up 80 per cent of victims in the country each year.
It's an issue surfacing more and more in Indian national news, with plenty of campaigners gaining traction online as they aim to raise awareness – which is exactly how Australian director Emma Macey-Storch came to hear about it
Emma Macey-Storch (left) first met Neetu Mahor in 2015, while on the hunt for ideas for her next documentary film. (Supplied)
The cafe is run by acid-attack survivors and aims to raise awareness about the intricacies of gender-based violence and the brutality of the attacks.
Inside sat two women, keen to discuss their experiences. Mother and daughter Geeta and Neetu Mahor had survived an acid attack over 20 years prior at the hands of Geeta's husband and Neetu's father, Inderjeet.
"We'd heard vaguely of this cafe called 'Sheroes Hangout' and when we arrived, Geeta and Neetu were there, and we started talking," Macey-Storch tells 9Honey.
Geeta Mahor (left) and daughter Neetu were attacked by their husband and father while they were sleeping. (Supplied)
From that first conversation, the director says she felt an "instant connection" with Geeta, a mother who seemed incredibly positive and open despite her shocking experience.
While they chatted, Geeta and Neetu told their story of how, one terrible night, their father and husband did the unthinkable.
Inderjeet, the father of two gorgeous daughters, had always felt shame that his wife had never given birth to a son. Spurred by this emotion, he chose this night to commit a truly cruel act.
At 1am, he walked into the room and poured acid on all three of his sleeping family members.
Geeta was left blind in one eye after her husband's acid attack. (Supplied)
The attack severely scarred his wife Geeta and left her blind in one eye, while Neetu suffered third-degree burns and became blind in both eyes.
The youngest daughter, Krishna, didn't survive.
The attack left the women ostracised from society, and afraid. For two-and-a-half years, Geeta fought to try and put her husband in jail and even hired a house where she tried to raise Neetu as a single mother.
Astonished by the story, Macey-Storch was invested from the get-go, particularly as the two women then stood before her in the midst of their next life venture as the founders of Sheroes Hangout.
The cafe attracts thousands of tourists a year, with their staff and supporters running protests and regularly lobbying for legal reform to bring greater protection to survivors
.
Neetu (centre) and her mother are the proud founders of Sheroes Hangout, which attracts thousands of tourists a year, raising awareness of the brutality of these attacks. (Supplied)
"I arrived to find the perpetrator of their crime, Inderjeet, still living there," she recalls.
"All I could think was 'Wow, how does this woman start this whole campaign, yet have her own struggles at home and her own revolution at home?'"
It's this issue and story Macey-Storch trails closely in her award-winning documentary Geeta. The film took home the Social Justice Film award at the renowned 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival this year.
"This is actually quite a common problem around the world," Macey-Storch notes.
"It's so hard to leave a violent relationship, because of the ties you feel to that person, because of the cultural customs, the money situation and of course, if children are involved.
"In Australia, you have to try and leave a violent relationship about eight times before you actually leave. That's a statistic."
Macey-Storch says she immediately felt a connection with Geeta, and was amazed by her resilience. She followed the mother and daughter for four and a half years to document their story. (Supplied)
"In the case of Rosie Batty, she too lost a child due to domestic violence, in a world where the systems in place and the common thinking didn't support her," Macey-Storch says.
"So we can't be thinking that this issue is worse in other countries, because it isn't."
Like Geeta and Neetu, Batty has devoted her life to reshaping the world so that no survivor has to experience the loss and heartbreak she did.
Macey-Storch says in her conversations with Geeta and Neetu she is often struck by their resolution for action and their passion for change.
"The thing that they are truly preaching is about shifting our thinking. Neetu in particular strongly believes that the longer we stay in denial, the longer change becomes impossible," she says.
"She often talks about how it was her mum thinking so differently which brought about so much change for them, and I think that's one of the biggest takeaways from the film."
Geeta will be screening at Screenwave International Film Festival 2022 on Friday, April 29 at Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour. Find out more information here.
honey.nine.com.au
A 2021 study published in the sexual exploitation and violence journal Dignity found India continues to top countries around the world with the highest rate of acid attacks every year, ranging from 250 to 300 incidents.
Women tend to be the targets, and there's a reason why. In India, acid attacks are one of the most prominent forms of violence against women and a common act of domestic violence. The 2021 study reports women make up 80 per cent of victims in the country each year.
It's an issue surfacing more and more in Indian national news, with plenty of campaigners gaining traction online as they aim to raise awareness – which is exactly how Australian director Emma Macey-Storch came to hear about it
Emma Macey-Storch (left) first met Neetu Mahor in 2015, while on the hunt for ideas for her next documentary film. (Supplied)
The story behind award-winning documentary Geeta
While hunting for ideas for her next documentary film, Macey-Storch and her co-producer Dipanjali Rao arrived in India and stumbled upon the new 'Sheroes Hangout' cafe in Agra.The cafe is run by acid-attack survivors and aims to raise awareness about the intricacies of gender-based violence and the brutality of the attacks.
Inside sat two women, keen to discuss their experiences. Mother and daughter Geeta and Neetu Mahor had survived an acid attack over 20 years prior at the hands of Geeta's husband and Neetu's father, Inderjeet.
"We'd heard vaguely of this cafe called 'Sheroes Hangout' and when we arrived, Geeta and Neetu were there, and we started talking," Macey-Storch tells 9Honey.
Geeta Mahor (left) and daughter Neetu were attacked by their husband and father while they were sleeping. (Supplied)
From that first conversation, the director says she felt an "instant connection" with Geeta, a mother who seemed incredibly positive and open despite her shocking experience.
While they chatted, Geeta and Neetu told their story of how, one terrible night, their father and husband did the unthinkable.
The attack that left Neetu blind in both eyes
Aged three, Neetu was sleeping in a room with Geeta and her younger sister Krishna when her father returned home, drunk.Inderjeet, the father of two gorgeous daughters, had always felt shame that his wife had never given birth to a son. Spurred by this emotion, he chose this night to commit a truly cruel act.
At 1am, he walked into the room and poured acid on all three of his sleeping family members.
Geeta was left blind in one eye after her husband's acid attack. (Supplied)
The attack severely scarred his wife Geeta and left her blind in one eye, while Neetu suffered third-degree burns and became blind in both eyes.
The youngest daughter, Krishna, didn't survive.
The attack left the women ostracised from society, and afraid. For two-and-a-half years, Geeta fought to try and put her husband in jail and even hired a house where she tried to raise Neetu as a single mother.
Astonished by the story, Macey-Storch was invested from the get-go, particularly as the two women then stood before her in the midst of their next life venture as the founders of Sheroes Hangout.
The cafe attracts thousands of tourists a year, with their staff and supporters running protests and regularly lobbying for legal reform to bring greater protection to survivors
.
Neetu (centre) and her mother are the proud founders of Sheroes Hangout, which attracts thousands of tourists a year, raising awareness of the brutality of these attacks. (Supplied)
A shocking discovery
Moving as the women's story was, Macey-Storch says one of the biggest shocks came when she visited Geeta and Neetu's home."I arrived to find the perpetrator of their crime, Inderjeet, still living there," she recalls.
"All I could think was 'Wow, how does this woman start this whole campaign, yet have her own struggles at home and her own revolution at home?'"
It's this issue and story Macey-Storch trails closely in her award-winning documentary Geeta. The film took home the Social Justice Film award at the renowned 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival this year.
"This is actually quite a common problem around the world," Macey-Storch notes.
"It's so hard to leave a violent relationship, because of the ties you feel to that person, because of the cultural customs, the money situation and of course, if children are involved.
"In Australia, you have to try and leave a violent relationship about eight times before you actually leave. That's a statistic."
Macey-Storch says she immediately felt a connection with Geeta, and was amazed by her resilience. She followed the mother and daughter for four and a half years to document their story. (Supplied)
A global fight
Macey-Storch draws comparisons between Geeta and Neetu's experience and the high-profile cases of domestic violence in Australia."In the case of Rosie Batty, she too lost a child due to domestic violence, in a world where the systems in place and the common thinking didn't support her," Macey-Storch says.
"So we can't be thinking that this issue is worse in other countries, because it isn't."
Like Geeta and Neetu, Batty has devoted her life to reshaping the world so that no survivor has to experience the loss and heartbreak she did.
Macey-Storch says in her conversations with Geeta and Neetu she is often struck by their resolution for action and their passion for change.
"The thing that they are truly preaching is about shifting our thinking. Neetu in particular strongly believes that the longer we stay in denial, the longer change becomes impossible," she says.
"She often talks about how it was her mum thinking so differently which brought about so much change for them, and I think that's one of the biggest takeaways from the film."
Geeta will be screening at Screenwave International Film Festival 2022 on Friday, April 29 at Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour. Find out more information here.
The mother and daughter fighting for change after a brutal acid attack
honey.nine.com.au
