Bam, Iran

Somayeh Mehri (29) doesn’t like socializing any more, following injury in an acid attack, and spends much of her time praying.

Somayeh and her daughter Rana Afghanipour (3) were attacked with acid by Somayeh’s husband Amir, in June 2011. Somayeh had frequently been beaten and locked up by her husband, and finally found the courage to ask for a divorce. Amir warned her that if she persisted in her attempts to leave him, she would not live out life with the face she had. One night he poured acid on Somayeh and Rana as they slept. Somayeh’s and Rana’s faces, hands, and, in places, their bodies were severely burned. Somayeh was blinded, and Rana lost one of her eyes. Somayeh’s father sold his land in order to raise money to pay their medical expenses, and fellow villagers have also helped.