Acid-attack victims on the catwalk
Indian acid attack survivors took to the catwalk to show nothing will hold them back from living their lives to the fullest
WITH no face scarf in sight and clad in breathtaking designer dresses, they strode confidently down the ramp, their disfigurements forgotten for once.
For a group of women acid attack survivors in India, being asked to take part in a haute couture fashion show that celebrated – instead of shunning – their scars was lifechanging.
“I was very nervous,” Meena Khatoon said after her venture down the catwalk, which showcased dresses donated by many of India’s top designers – and which were later auctioned off.
But the mom of one, who was attacked by her ex-husband, says she had a point to prove.
“People often looked away when I went outside. They’d walk in the opposite direction when they saw me,” she told the UK’s Daily Mail.
“But then one day I thought, if that’s the way you think, so be it. I have to build my life, I want my son to study and I have to support him.”
She now runs her own small business fixing cellphones, a ven-venture made possible by the help of Make Love Not Scars, the nonprofit organisation that arranged the fashion show.
“The idea for the Power Walk show was to give the girls something to build their confidence with. If they can overcome something as daunting as walking down a catwalk in front of loads of people, they can overcome anything,” said Ria Sharma, founder of Make Love Not Scars.
The organisation, which runs a rehab facility for acid attack survivors in New Delhi, wants to highlight the growing scourge of this type of attack on women in India.
The perpetrators? Usually their husbands, boyfriends or close family members.
“This was important to boost the
survivors’ confidence. A lot of these women are just having a good time – and they’ve never had a good time,” adds Tania Singh, the organisation’s vice president.
Hundreds of acid attacks are reported each year but Tania believes the true number of attacks could be much higher.
Often the local government doesn’t report cases as some women die before a criminal case is launched while others choose to stay with their abusive partners and families.
Reshma Qureshi, who took part in the show, is a 20-year-old former model who was left disfigured after her brother-inlaw threw acid meant for his wife.
She was too afraid afterwards to leave her home. “I was scared it would happen again,” she says.
“I was bothered by how people reacted to me on the streets. People would look away. They’d say, ‘ What happened to you? No one will marry you.’
“They’d say, ‘ With a deformed face you’re not beautiful.’ But I’m confident and proud of who I am. I want people to know your face isn’t what makes you beautiful – it’s your heart.”
Reshma is writing a book which is due out next year.
RIA’S passion for helping acid victims was born after she saw a photo of a scarred woman while studying fashion in England.
She was so moved she returned to her homeland to make a documentary on the topic. She named it Make Love Not Scars, which later became the name of the charity that helps reintegrate survivors into society.
Tania says many of the women who come to them refuse to take off their face scarves.
“They say ‘We can’t do it, we’re ugly,’ and we tell them that’s not true, you’re not ugly. Society is ugly.
“The fashion show is a chance to realise they deserve acceptance, love and belonging.
“Now they can go back out there and tell the world they don’t have to hide their faces and scars. It’s the world that needs to change its thinking.”