When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say: 'I used everything you gave me.' Erma Louise Bombeck
The Smile That Saves: One Woman's Work Changes The Faces Of A Nation
Sara notes: We posted this story on December 15, 2009. Since then AWR has been made aware that DSF is
currently under investigation for accounting practices. We will update this
page as we learn more about the progress of the investigation. In the meantime, we would like to continue
to lend our support to acid attack victims worldwide.
Masarrat Misbah, a businesswoman and entrepreneur, runs a chain of highly successful beauty salons across Pakistan.
Depilex salons give women the opportunity to highlight their surface beauty but it was perhaps Misbah’s ability to uncover the beauty of the soul within that spurred her to take her work one step further.
Now, Misbah is a lifeline for hundreds of women whose lives have been violently dislocated after suffering what is becoming a common fate for women in rural areas of Pakistan – acid attacks. (See the compelling video at the end of this story.)
An attack can be vengeful retribution from a spurned suitor. Other times, attacks are punishment for requesting a divorce from an abusive husband or for behaviour deemed inappropriate by male family members. As a result, each year hundreds of women find themselves stripped of their face, their future and sometimes even their desire to live.
Horrific Pain
Acid attacks are a particularly cruel and brutal form of abuse. Thrown
straight into the face and eyes of unsuspecting victims, the acid
causes the flesh to melt instantly. Eye sockets and cheekbones are
exposed even as the bones beneath begin to disintegrate. Like heated
candle wax, the victims’ faces and bodies lose their formation and
structure. The burning pain is horrific.
The tragedy of acid attacks goes beyond the unbelievable physical agony
suffered by its victims. This form of abuse is not only physical; it is
viciously psychological. In a culture that prides itself on its
beautiful women, victims are destined to spend the rest of their lives
horribly disfigured, sometimes beyond all recognition. They are often
young: teenagers or women in their early twenties with their whole
lives ahead of them – young women with dreams of children, family and
the future.
In 2003, Misbah was approached by a lady who had suffered an acid
attack. Hiding behind her veil, the woman told of how her husband had
doused her with acid. She lifted her veil to show Misbah the ruined
crevasse that was once her face.
Horrified by the woman’s story, Misbah felt unable to turn her away.
She made contact with Italian charity Smileagain, an NGO that
specialises in providing burn victims with medical assistance. In
partnership with Smileagain, Misbah created the Depilex Smileagain
Foundation.
Smileagain’s history of working with acid burn victims in Bangladesh
made it a perfect partner for Misbah. Through Smileagain, victims have
access to a network of doctors from Europe who travel to the region to
provide medical assistance. When necessary, patients are flown to Italy
by the charity for treatment.
Depilex Supports Victims
Today, the Depilex Smileagain Foundation provides acid burn victims in
Pakistan with vital medical attention and reconstructive surgery. This
is especially important in cases where the acid has caused a loss of
eyesight, hearing or mobility, or for the treatment of resulting
infection or gangrene.
The women who are helped by Depilex Smileagain also have access to
vital psychological support to help them regain their self esteem and
hope. Perhaps most important, the women are provided with vocational
training to give them a sense of purpose, as well as the financial
independence that enables them to leave abusive home situations. In
fact, a number of the women that Misbah has helped now work in the
Depilex beauty salons.
According to The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, at least 50% of
women in Pakistan are victims of domestic abuse. Many cases of acid
attacks and burning go unreported as victims and their families are
often either afraid, or financially unable to pursue the matter in
court. The police themselves can be reluctant to interfere in what they
see as a family matter.
Easily found and cheap to buy, acid is becoming the weapon of choice in
cases of domestic abuse. While there are no official figures on how
many women suffer these attacks, reported cases number in the hundreds
each year.
Laws Needed
In August 2003, the Punjab Provincial Assembly passed legislation
ranking acid attacks as attempted murder in the eyes of the law. Last
month, Iftikhar Chaudhry, Chief Justice of Pakistan, issued a statement
asking for the government to establish a regulatory framework that
would monitor the sale of acid, and formalise the punishment of
perpetrators of such attacks.
While these are important steps, there is
still no national law that protects women from acid attacks and little
has been done over the years to enforce the legislation.
Through her existing success, Misbah has taken an inspirational step
toward what could mean a great change for women in Pakistan. But the
road is still long and there are always more victims that need help.
Misbah’s work has helped bring hope to hundreds of acid attack victims across the country, and she will continue to do so.
She says of her mission: "We want every woman to look beautiful, to be confident and to smile again."
What a horrible thing these women have had done to them and these monsters should be put into jail with the key thrown away and never found (I could think of something worse for them).
It is wonderful there is someone who can help ease the pain of the acid and the horror these women have gone through, the nightmares they will endure for many years and being cared for during the process of regaining their faces. Just having someone who cares will restore their souls in time.
Thank you for this incredible story. It definitely brought back memories of the threats of acid in my face, a wire around my throat and every horror one can think of. My children and I got away safely because we live in Canada, the women of Pakistan and others are still under the rule of criminally insane men!
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written by Sara Refai,
December 16, 2009
Misbah is such an inspiration.
As is every women who has come through something like this. I cannot imagine how much strength and determination it must take to stand up and carry on.
Thank you very much for your kind comment and for sharing your experiences. This is a crime against women and humanity and, as you say, the laws must be changed to reflect that and punish the perpetrators of these attacks.
Thanks for the link to your site. Please keep us posted on developments to stop this violence, and on the work you do to help acid attack survivors in Pakistan.
Keep up the good work. Susan
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written by valekhan,
January 12, 2010
Dear Suzan, thank you for getting back to us, we will keep on updating our website, visit sometimes and you will see our progress!
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What a horrible thing these women have had done to them and these monsters should be put into jail with the key thrown away and never found (I could think of something worse for them).
It is wonderful there is someone who can help ease the pain of the acid and the horror these women have gone through, the nightmares they will endure for many years and being cared for during the process of regaining their faces. Just having someone who cares will restore their souls in time.
Thank you for this incredible story. It definitely brought back memories of the threats of acid in my face, a wire around my throat and every horror one can think of. My children and I got away safely because we live in Canada, the women of Pakistan and others are still under the rule of criminally insane men!