Almost 10 years ago, a young Pakistani woman was held down by her mother-in-law while her husband and father-in-law threw acid on her. Some 150 operations later, Bushra Shafi is working as a beautician in a hair salon in Lahore, started by a hairdresser who was moved to help victims of acid attacks when one of them came into her salon and asked simply: “Can you make me beautiful again?”
There are at least 100 reports of acid attacks in Pakistan each year, and they’re overwhelmingly against women. This figure only accounts for the reported cases – it’s assumed that many more go unreported. The Academy Award-winning documentary short film “Saving Face” looks at this phenomenon through the experiences of three people: Zakia, a 39-year-old woman […]
London-based plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad uses a pioneering technique to rebuild the skin on the faces of victims of acid attacks in Pakistan. His work is subject of an Oscar-nominated short documentary, Saving Face. He speaks with anchor Marco Werman.