Every year, hundreds of acid attacks are reported in India, the majority of which are aimed at women. The government has so far been unable to stop the violence, despite laws criminalizing the attacks and restricting the sale of acid.    

The women targeted are not only physically injured, but also often left depressed or ashamed by the accompanying disfiguration or disability. But at Sheroes, a cafe staffed and managed by acid attack survivors, they’ve formed a tightknit community. Through their work and through relationships forged at the cafe, survivors reclaim a piece of their dignity.

Anshu Rajput, who works at the cafe, was 15 when a man threw acid on her face. She underwent multiple surgeries to save her eyesight. “The harder part, though, was to overcome the numbness, and that is something I would not have been able to do without Sheroes,” she says.

The women’s resilience rubs off on customers as well. 

Ajay Sharma says whenever he feels low, he heads to the cafe. “You see these girls running it; they are amazing and special. I have never witnessed such determination and grit in my entire life,” he says. “They heal me.” 

On a sunny afternoon, a young woman named Ritu Saini serves tea to customers at Sheroes, a cafe managed and staffed by survivors of acid attacks. These resilient women have found a supportive place where they can move forward with their lives.  

Every year, hundreds of acid attacks are reported in India, with the majority of those aimed at women. The government has so far been unable to stop the violence, despite laws specifically criminalizing the attacks and restricting the sale of acid.    

Ms. Saini was a lively teenager before a cousin threw acid on her face for turning down his relationship proposal. She had to undergo extensive treatment, and the attack left her with a scar. 

Depressed, she confined herself at home. It took months of her mother’s encouragement for Ms. Saini to go out without covering her face. “That attack left a deep scar on my soul. If not for my mom’s persistence, I wouldn’t have been here today,” she says.

Ms. Saini is determined to empower other women. “I got many opportunities, thanks to the cafe,” she says.

She is joined by five other women, all of whom have stories of pain and resilience to share. Among them is Anshu Rajput. She was 15 when a man threw acid on her face. She underwent multiple surgeries to save her eyesight. “The harder part, though, was to overcome the numbness, and that is something I would not have been able to do without Sheroes,” she says.