President Juan Manuel Santos this week closed a legal loophole that often allowed attackers to get away scot-free. Official figures acknowledge 628 victims, but women’s rights activists believe the true toll may be far higher.

Under the new law, signed Monday, anyone using any kind of “chemical agent” to physically harm another person will receive a minimum sentence of 12 years behind bars. If the victim is permanently disfigured, the sentence will be up to 50 years.

Colombia’s wave of acid attacks is a relative anomaly in Latin America, where the tactic remains rare — despite entrenched sexism and high levels of violence against women across the region. Perpetrators are overwhelmingly men, while victims are mostly women.