in brief: pakistani teen injured in acid attack
Image via STR/AFP/Getty Images
While Australians debate the country’s leadership, women overseas continue to suffer brutal attacks over things we take for granted.
Less than a week ago, an 18-year-old Pakistani woman was attacked in her home. The actress, known as Bushra, suffered burns to her face and shoulder. ‘A man climbed the wall of our house in the early hours, threw acid on my sister and fled,’ Bushra’s brother, Pervez Khan told AFP.
While this young woman is in a stable condition, such incidents are sadly not out of the ordinary. What is perhaps more disturbing, though, is why this particular incident occurred. According to the woman’s family, the attack was a result of an ongoing disagreement between the actress and her employer over wages.
According to the Acid Survivors Foundation – a Pakistani group that provides support for victims of acid attacks – around 150 incidents similar to the above occur each year.
This is just the beginning. According to the country’s Independent Human Rights Commission, around 1000 women and girls are murdered each year because of so-called ‘honour killings’. In addition, a study by TrustLaw found that Pakistan was the third most dangerous country for women.
In Australia, it is unimaginable that a girl would have acid thrown in her face for wanted equal pay or for talking to a boy outside her home. And yet not very far across the globe, this is a very real threat.
