15 July, 2010
Bibi Aisha, 18, was disfigured as retribution for fleeing her husband’s house.
Jodi Bieber
Jodi Bieber is a photographer from South Africa whose work explores contemporary issues related to gender, politics and identity, often contradicting the mainstream media narrati...
Kabul, Afghanistan
Bibi Aisha, 18, was disfigured as retribution for fleeing her husband’s house in Oruzgan province, in the center of Afghanistan. At the age of 14, Aisha and her younger sister had been given to the family of a Taliban fighter under a Pashtun tribal custom for settling disputes. When she reached puberty she was married to him, but she later returned to her parents’ home, complaining of violent treatment by her in-laws. Men arrived there one night demanding that she be handed over to be punished for running away. Aisha was taken to a mountain clearing, where, at the orders of a Taliban commander, she was held down and had first her ears sliced off, then her nose. In local culture, a man who has been shamed by his wife is said to have lost his nose, and this is seen as punishment in return. Aisha was abandoned, but later rescued and taken to a shelter in Kabul run by the aid organization Women for Afghan Women, where she was given treatment and psychological help. After time in the refuge, she was taken to America to receive further counseling and reconstructive surgery.
Photo credit:
Institute for Artist Management / Goodman Gallery for Time magazine
