Every once in a while I'd hear about a case in India or Pakistan of a man dousing a woman or girl with acid. What I didn't know, that "Saving Face" has taught me, is that husbands even do that to their wives!! I can understand, if I were to climb into the mind of a maniac, why a scorned man with his shattered ego would douse a woman who just rejected him, but why would a man permanently mar the face of his wife--the wife he plans to remain married to?!?
"Saving Face" is about the acid-assaulting in Pakistan. At the time of this documentary there were 100 cases of acid assaults per year in Pakistan. They had a free clinic dedicated specifically to women who'd been doused with acid and at the time of the film an advocacy group was trying to get stiff penalties on the country's books for such attackers. At the same time a Pakistani plastic surgeon named Mohammad Jawad had returned home to help some of these disfigured and ostracized women.
The whole thing is enough to make you angry and befuddled. How is it, in this country full of prideful men, could so many men get away with attacking women and girls in this fashion? Part of being a prideful man is being proud of being able to protect your family. Have none of the fathers, brothers, uncles, or even sons of these women sought some righteous revenge? I would think that dousing a girl with acid would be of the utmost riskiness because there would be a tribe to deal with after that. Shows how much I know.
