In 1998, India was the only country in the world where fire was among the 15 leading causes of death. Even almost two decades later, incidents of burn-related injuries remain an “underserved and underrepresented category of violence”, according to a new study by the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC)—a Chennai-based non-profit organisation. Going by the conservative estimates, about 100,000 women die of burn injuries in India every year. Tamil Nadu is one of the worst-affected states, with Chennai alone witnessing 100-150 burn cases every month. Women in the age group of 15-50 are most prone to fire-related deaths. Unfortunately, most women succumb to their injuries because of inadequate and unresponsive support services and not because of physical injury only.

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