Without a Face

In the fall of 2009 I left for Pakistan to work on a project about acid burn survivors. I collaborated with a NGO which helps burned women with reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and therapy. Acid attacks are a common phenomenon in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh as well as other countries in South Asia. Stories about acid attacks have also recently surfaced in England. In 2009 the Pakistan government introduced the, Pakistan Acid Prevention Bill, which will bring harder convictions on the attackers and regulations on the sale of acid. The attacker is usually a family member; an abusive husband, relatives seeking revenge or the cause could be a refused marriage proposal. In other cases, attackers are no more than strangers on the street. Most of the attacks are done on women and if they are not killed, they are scarred mentally and physically for life. I am currently producing my first documentary film regarding the same issue in Europe.