Saving Face (2012) - full transcript

Every year hundreds of people -- mostly women -- are attacked with acid in Pakistan. SAVING FACE follows several of these survivors, their fight for justice, and a Pakistani plastic surgeon who has returned to his homeland to help them restore their faces and their lives.

I had a great passion for taking
photographs of myself.

Whenever my mother
would buy me new clothes

I would wear them
and take photographs.

Now I feel terrible
when I look at these.

All I can see is how I used to look

and how now I have
to always hide my face.

I know I won't ever again
be as God made me

but hopefully it will get better for me.

Patients,
register yourself at the reception.

My husband burned me.

I was sleeping and he came inside



and just threw acid on me.

He just didn't want me.

I was thirteen years old
at the time of the attack.

My school teacher
wanted to be with me

but I refused

and then he threw acid on me.

One night I was sleeping and he came
and threw acid on my shoulder.

A year later he came back
and threw it on my face.

All because we rejected his proposal.

I was an innocent child.
Why did he ruin my face?

What did I do wrong?

Zakia, that's your name? I'm Dr. Jawad.

I'm here working with Dr. Tariq.

So how are you?



I'm OK today.

How old are you?

Thirty-nine.

What happened to you?

I was attacked with acid.

By who?

By my husband.

Can you take the glasses off?
Is it just your face or all over?

Did you have any basic treatment
like a skin graft?

They just dressed me and...

- But no operation?
- No operation.

My marriage went bad from the start.

He was a drug addict and alcoholic.

And he would take money from me

and when I ran out of money

he would abuse me.

He would beat me.

When I couldn't take it anymore I finally
went to the court to file for divorce.

So outside the courthouse

he confronted me.
"So you want to divorce me?"

"I'll make a spectacle out of you
for the world to see."

And he threw acid on me.

He used battery acid.

The highest quality and undiluted.

It took one second
to ruin my life completely.

One second.

He thought he could just escape
and no one would find out.

But he got caught and now he's in jail.

And there's an ongoing case
against him.

Are you married?

Yes.

Do you have children?

No, I don't.

What's your wife's name?

I don't think it's important
to tell you that.

Did you give her a divorce?

No.

Why not?

She's mine, I've married her.

It's a matter of my dignity.
How can I just divorce her?

Why did she want to divorce you?
What happened?

Whatever happened happened.

I never intended to do this

and I didn't do this.

This is a conspiracy against me.

Some other man burned her face?

Yes.

What's his name?

I don't know his name.

But you were there.

Yes I was there but I don't know him.

She had an affair
which no righteous husband can tolerate.

Okay.

This was bound to happen!

Women are all over the place.

Doing their "good work."

What kind of good work?

To cut the world's nose.

Rukhsana?

How old are you?

Twenty-five.

What happened to you?

Acid attack.

Who did it?

My husband threw acid on me and
my sister-in-law threw gasoline on me.

So your husband threw acid on you?

Yes and my sister-in-law
threw gasoline on me.

And then my mother-in-law lit a match
and set me on fire.

And where do you live now?

With them. I live with them.

You still live with them?

Yes, my kids became very sick

and I couldn't afford
to take care of them anymore

so I had to move back
into my husband's house

and I had to make up with them.

This is where they burned me alive.

My life was destroyed in this room.

They latched this door from outside

so that I would suffocate to death.

They threw acid on me, burned me alive.

When I'm in this room I'm frightened.
I remember that incident.

My husband has always been abusive.

He would beat me up all the time.
Torture me.

So you have never abused your wife?

No.

Never in these eight years of marriage.

So you never threw acid on your wife?

No. In fact nobody threw acid on her.

She has high blood pressure
and a temper.

When she loses her temper
she goes out of control.

One day she lost her mind
and threw gasoline on herself.

A candle was burning nearby.

The gasoline accidentally fell on it
and caught fire

and she was engulfed by the flames.

So will a married woman with two
children simply throw acid on herself?

Yes. Go visit the burn unit someday.

You'll see

99% of the women there

have burned themselves alive.

What's that burn mark on your hand?

That was from...

from when I was putting out the fire.

Who's hiding behind the door?

These are the new recruits.

Older members, please tell the new people
how you went through the same thing.

In the beginning when I first got burned
my pictures were so scary.

My neck, everything.
I was scared to look at it.

It took us a while to gather courage.
We used to be so scared at first.

But now we have no such tensions.

Zakia this is exactly
what I was telling you...

I am not that confident.
Someday I will be.

After meeting these women
I got a lot of courage.

But not enough to face the world
without covering my face.

With my face burned
I can't go to any weddings

or funerals, or any other occasions.

My case is ongoing.

I have a court date tomorrow.

I've found a lawyer.

She is especially passionate
about women's cases.

And she is fighting my case for free.

I don't know how I would've fought this
without her.

Hello Madam.

Hello Zakia. How are you? Please sit.

Tomorrow your court hearing begins.

He's denied all allegations
and says he's innocent.

"I did not throw any acid on her..."

If not him then who threw the acid?

Well, in order to shatter the defense

we need to prove
that our witnesses are credible.

I am also going to mention some verses
from the Quran on disfigurement

in the court during our hearing.

But it depends on the court.

I can't say before then
what the verdict will be.

Zakia is a very brave woman.

Most women in our society
do not come to the courts for justice.

Our present laws are too lenient
and most culprits are acquitted.

It would be great if we could set
a precedent with Zakia's case.

I suggest there should be
a death sentence.

Ask the victims!

Make them stand on the podium
and ask them what they want.

The death penalty cannot be proposed
as a punishment.

In Pakistan human rights activists
have been fighting that

for 30 or 35 years.

I don't think
that's going to have an impact.

Immediately the culprit
should be taken to the town square

and have the same thing done to him.

If Islam permits it

why don't we use such punishment?

I'm very happy about
what's happening here.

God willing this will happen.
We'll all pray for it.

All husbands who throw acid
on their wives should be punished.

What about the non-husbands?

Okay even those!

We're smiling now
because we're getting attention

but if you look into our hearts
then you'll know what we really feel.

I'm really nervous. How will I speak
in front of so many people?

Come on you'll be fine.

Even our own people
do not recognize us any more.

This is such an injustice to us.

Someone must stop these brutal people

who made us into the living dead.

Oh my fellow countrymen,
my lawmakers, my government

your daughters seek justice from you.

When did this happen to you?

About two years ago.

Although my husband was arrested
the same day

my in-laws are wealthy
and so they all got out right away.

So where are they now?

They're all free.

And what about you?

They told me to stay quiet,
not to tell anyone.

They told everyone that I caught fire
because an oil lamp fell on me.

My face is ruined!

My life is ruined!

And nobody was punished at all.

Where is the justice?

Now my only request to you is that

you do something
for helpless women like us

so we get justice.

If they throw acid on us, the law
should allow us to throw acid on them.

We thought about that
but we can't permit it.

So we have proposed a law that will
punish them with life imprisonment.

We are trying our best to pass this law
in the assembly.

My face is getting tighter and tighter.
It's getting worse every single day.

It's very difficult
to even eat or drink anything.

I can't tolerate this pain anymore.

I'm really happy and I want to thank God

because my wish
is about to be fulfilled.

I hope my lips get fixed
and then my nose

and then my eye.

This is going to be my rebirth.

I'm having a party.

And if you can restore somebody's life

I don't think I need to be bloody religious
to go where I need to go eventually.

There is nothing in there.

It's just illogical for it to survive
at this stage.

I can't see anything.

So the whole ball is shrunken so

Dr. Ankelsaria will agree

there's no eye to save here
and in fact the orbit

is so badly damaged
it won't support a glass eye.

It's too late.

OK guys. That's unfortunate.
Let's close her up.

By Monday or Tuesday
we'll let you go home.

What about my nose?

That's the next stage.

When this is stable

we'll have to do some
more clever things.

We'll meet again
in the next couple months.

They are keeping my daughter
away from me.

My daughter lives
on the other side of this wall.

They made this wall
so that I'd never see my daughter again.

They won't let me be with her.

They don't let me see her.

They don't want me to have anything
to do with her.

I reconciled with them for the sake
of my child but they stole her from me.

How will I live this life
that God gave me?

It's better to die
than to live this awful life.

And here is the heartbeat.

Can you see the heartbeat?

So in fact you are pregnant
and your baby is eight weeks old.

Didn't you take any measures
for birth control?

Yes, I did for a while

but then I started having problems.

Then I left it all to God.

Perhaps God wants to bring me joy
through this baby.

Aren't you worried?

Don't you realize what happened to you
could happen to your child as well?

I am really sad
that my scheduled surgery

won't happen.

But my new baby
will bring happiness back to me.

I hope I have a boy

because a girl's future
gets risky after marriage.

I wouldn't want my daughter
to face the same plight as me.

In our society boys live well.

Girls are often unhappy.

That's why I want a baby boy.

My husband has never seen my face
because I always wear a burqua in court.

I always wear glasses.
He has never seen my face.

Whenever I go to court for my hearings

I see no remorse in his eyes.

He stares at me
like he's going to eat me alive.

God willing I will get justice.
I'll fight until the end.

I'm not going to let him go.
He destroyed my life.

Our case is strong
but it's up to the judge.

The worst-case scenario would be...

if he is acquitted.

He has been threatening Zakia

so I'm worried that if he is acquitted
he might harm Zakia.

I thought I was going to receive
the final verdict today.

But the date was extended again
because of his lawyer.

His lawyer does this all the time.

I just hope
I get another court date soon.

It's all up to God now.

In every corner of Pakistan
there is a victim of acid crime.

This is terrorism!

And the culprits often go scot-free.

God willing today a new Pakistan

will be born
through this acid crime legislation.

This is a gruesome crime!

And our courts have failed
to give the culprits

the punishment they deserve.

Through the Acid Crime Legislation
we want a law

that will save the life of the woman.

Today I would like to congratulate
all the women of Pakistan

because today history was made.

Our fight is not over yet.
It still continues.

Thank you.

Ever since I filed the charges
he's been threatening me.

He says, "When I get out
I'll destroy your entire family."

I can't take it anymore.

I pray that they can keep him in jail.

You didn't say your prayers today?

No.

- Why didn't you? Didn't feel like it?
- I don't know.

- Did you get lazy?
- No that's not the case.

Okay.

Will you go to school tomorrow?

I'm not sure if I will.
I don't feel like it.

You don't feel like it? Why not?

I'm really nervous.

I can't take these hardships on us
anymore.

I just want everything to be over.

And that will finally be
a happy day for us.

You should pray for God's will
to end all of this.

- Tell me a joke.
- Should I tell a joke?

Tell the one with the cat

- the one where it changes colors...
- I don't know that one, I've forgotten it.

Okay. Tell me one you remember...

Greetings, Madam.

Hello please sit.

Zakia your verdict has come.

Do you want to know the details?

Yes please,
I have been waiting anxiously for it.

It's a very detailed verdict.

Everything has been discussed.

And his motive is also mentioned in it.

Yes Madam tell me the verdict.

Under Act 7C in the 7th section...

Yes?

He has been given two life sentences!

- Not one but two life sentences!
- Thanks a million to God.

First tell me what happened
with your court case?

He received a double life sentence.

Sir, this is the first time ever
to punish a case under the new law.

- You are the first case to be tried
under this law? - Yes.

How do you feel?

I feel great!

It's a strong message.

They used to think it's a joke.

That nothing will ever happen.

I admire your courage.

I'm really proud of you.

Do you remember her?

Your face has settled well.

I'm really pleased.

Zakia, the last time we operated on you

we realized that your eye
is completely damaged.

It won't even support a glass eye.

There's only so much I can do for you.

We have our limitations.

We can't be God.

To recreate all your loss

such as your eyebrows,
eyelashes and eyelids

for that I've got a top guy from Dubai

who will make a prosthesis for you.

But you'll have to wear
that prosthesis externally.

So that's my plan? All right?

Brilliant.

First I thank God

then I thank you.

Come meet your mother.

How do I look?

You look fantastic.

She really looks fantastic.

You've got your old mom back?

She was lost for awhile wasn't she?

How are you?

Fine.

Congratulations on your boy.

What name have you given him?

Mohammad.

And I hope that he studies hard
and becomes a doctor like you.

And not like his father.

God willing.

I will fulfill my promise to you.

But we must wait for
about six months or so.

Then we'll do our surgery on you.

You look beautiful.

Really?

Today is the first day

since the acid attack that I've left
my house without my veil.

Without my burqua,
without my sunglasses.

I feel really good.

I have changed a lot
since my acid attack.

And hopefully some of these things
will still get worked out.

I am ready to begin my new life.

And God willing tomorrow
seems much better than today.