Woman gets prosthetic nose 32 years after attack

Pakistani Allah Rakhi, 51, whose nose was sliced off by her husband After six years of abuse, Allah Rakhi was walking out of her marriage when her husband struck again. Snatching a knife, he sliced off her nose. "You're no longer beautiful!" he shouted. He then slashed at her foot — brutal punishment for leaving the house without his permission.
"A woman is only a woman inside the home! Outside she's a whore!" he yelled at Rakhi as she lay bleeding on the dusty street outside her home.
That was 32 years ago.
All that time, Rakhi hid her disfigured face under a veil. In March, a surgeon took up her case. He cut flesh from her ribs and fashioned it into a nose, transforming her life.
While the details of every case of violence against Pakistani women differ, many are based on a concept of "family honor." Women can be targeted for suspicion of an affair, wishing to divorce or dressing inappropriately. Hundreds of women are murdered each year because of suspicions.
The nose is considered the symbol of family honor in Pakistan — explaining why a woman's nose is often the target of spousal abuse. A popular plea from parents to children is "Please take care of our nose," which means, "Don't do anything that tarnishes the reputation of the family."
Pakistani courts have a history of letting off offenders or giving them only light punishment, assuming the cases get to trial at all. Rakhi's husband, for example, served 10 months in jail before being released in exchange for a commitment to pay her medical bills. He never did.
Efforts to introduce stronger laws to increase punishments for violence against women have been blocked by an Islamist political party that publicly supports the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. The party, Jamiat Ulema Islam, is a member of the ruling coalition.
"We will never let it happen," said JUI Sen. Maulana Ghafoor Haideri, who said the bill was an attempt to "Westernize" Pakistan. "It will ruin our family institutions," he said.
Rakhi was attacked when she was 19, after being married at 13. Despite being illegal, child marriages remain common in parts of Pakistan. After the attack, she worked to support herself and her daughter, painting flowers on pots in a factory and buying and selling clothes in markets, all the time hidden behind a veil.
"I died every moment," Rakhi said.
It was her daughter who gave her the chance for a new nose. She was working in the capital, Islamabad, at an institute that provides training for women recovering from having acid thrown on their faces. She introduced Rakhi to the Acid Survivors Foundation, which put her in touch with a surgeon.
Dr. Hamid Hasan said Rakhi's positive attitude was important for the other operations she must undergo in the coming months.
"Thank God I did not commit suicide," Rakhi said. "Life is a blessing!"
Domestic abuse
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that in 2011, at least 943 women were murdered, nine had their noses cut off, 98 were tortured, 47 set on fire and 38 attacked with acid.