A few days ago, a public appeal on the social networking site FaceBook by the Nabil Bank CEO Anil Keshari Shah went out to millions who follow; the appeal was simple: Help a victim of Acid Attack get out of debt.
Three years ago, Basanti Pariyar fell victim to the vile act, also being stabbed thrice by the perpetrators. In her lucky recovery, she spent a lot of money on her treatment all sourced from funds from Banks.
Pariyar, who lives with her husband spends her days working off the loan she accumulated through no fault of her own. She now works at the Nepal Oil Corporation as an office helper repays interest on the loan from her monthly income, she says she’s already spent Rs 1 million on interest payments alone, the payment of the entire loan remains a dream
Within days of the public appeal for Pariyar and the account for Pariyar being created 4 Lakh rupees were already accumulated in it through donations and hopefully shall continue to grow. Pariyar and Banker Shah met through the help of avid social worker Ujwal Bkram Thapa who was also pivotal in getting Pariyar the job in the Nepal Oil Corporation Office. Thapa also actively campaigns to raise funds for Pariyar’s loan payment.
A Nawalparasi resident, Pariyar was attacked by her own neighbor at night. The acid burnt 25% of her body while the stabbing injured and broke her cheekbones.
With the ever increasing threat of acid attacks in the country the Government of Nepal has tried to implement stricter laws against acid attack aggressors. These laws provide a maximum of 20 years in prison and compensation of Rs 1 million for the acid attack victim was also formulated to raise awareness against acid attacks on 10th of September every year in the country.
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