Fakhra Younus
Fakhra Younus, a Pakistan national took her life on March 17, 2012 after enduring over 3 dozen surgeries to repair her face and body after an acid attack by former husband. Younus met her husband as a teenager working as a dancer and the two later got married. The marriage lasted three years, and Younus left her husband because he was emotionally and physically abusive. While living with her mother in May 2000, Younus was attacked by her ex-husband who poured acid all over her body in the presence of her 4- year old son.
The acid burned the hair off her head, fused her lips, blinded one eye and melted her breasts! Even after 39 surgeries to try and reconstruct her face, Fakhra couldn’t live with the tormenting deformation of her once scar less and beautiful face. “I don’t look human”, she said. Her face felt like a prison for her.
This is a tragic story of a woman whose life was robbed from her by a preventable crime. The government of Pakistan needs to enforce laws that prevent such heinous crimes from occurring. The fact that a man can commit such a crime against another human being and only get a slap on the wrist is very disconcerting.
Not only did her son have to watch his mother suffer one of the most brutal attacks imaginable, but he has to live with the scars of losing his mother so tragically. This should be a wakeup call to the Pakistan government. Criminal acts like these should be punishable by law, and if the constitution doesn’t provide any clauses that protect its citizens, then it needs to be revised! Any constitution that doesn’t protect the rights of its citizens, or punish criminal acts is useless!
Before/After image:
