Katie Piper's story has been known across the nation since 2008 when she went public about the acid attack she suffered. Her ex had hired a guy to throw the acid into her face - causing long term damage and partial blindness - to punish her for daring to go to the police about him kidnapping and raping her. Katie is now a TV presenter, and a household name known for far much more than the attack she suffered.
However, despite the attention drawn to this heinous crime, incidences of it are on the rise. In 2005/6, there were 47 reported acid attacks. In 2008, the year Katie was attacked, 68 others were attacked. And in the past year, 106 people needed treatment for burns suffered in acid attacks.
'I find it shocking that anyone would use acid as a weapon, knowing full well the damage it causes,' Acid Survivors Trust International spokesman Jaf Shah told The Mirror.
'Victims have to deal with both mental and physical trauma and if there has been significant disfigurement or scarring the readjustment to daily life is very tough.
'Often they have to have multiple surgical procedures over many years and are left in constant pain.'
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.