Weak enforcement for strong acid
Kneeling outside a motodop and car battery store on Monivong Boulevard in the capital, a 15-year-old boy spends his days piping acid into batteries with his bare hands.
His employer says she has no idea that Cambodia, as well as having an Acid Control Law – which passed in 2011 – also has a sub-decree that regulates the sale, distribution and possession of undiluted sulfuric acid.
The sub-decree, which came into effect in July, governs the use of this “strong acid”, requiring sellers to label their wares properly in Khmer with an accompanying warning label. …
Erin Bourgois, project manager for the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity, said sulfuric acid is regulated under the law; however, provisions in the sub-decree provide an exception for diluted sulfuric acid with a density below 33 per cent – the kind used for refilling batteries.
“The government needs to raise more awareness about the sub-decree with acid vendors, rubber plantations, law enforcement, etc. On a recent visit with legal partners in Siem Reap, neither LAC [Legal Aid of Cambodia] or [rights group] Licadho had realised the sub-decree had passed,” Bourgois said.
Article 6 of the sub-decree, however, stipulates that a “seller or distributor of strong acid of all sorts” must record all sales and issue an invoice. …
Nearly all six government ministries charged with regulating and “effectively implementing” the sub-decree pointed to a different ministry as responsible for regulation. …
Amelia Woodside and Mom Kunthear
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/weak-enforcement-strong-acid
