All these young women were victims of acid attacks in India.
Rupa (right) has now designed her own fashion range. The Herald Sun has featured images from the shoot. It is just the best fashion photo shoot I think I’ve ever seen. Despite their suffering, multiple operations, the cruelty they have suffered, they appear radiant and determined to embrace life. Their courage shines and shames their abusers.
Indian designer Rupa, along with her friends Rita, Sonam, Laxmi and Chanchal modelled the clothing from her new range, Rupa Designs for photographer Rahul Saharan. All five women are the victims of acid attacks, which are very common in India.
In 2008, Rupa suffered extensive injuries after her stepmother threw acid in her face while she was sleeping.
“I always wanted to be a designer but after the attack there was a pause in my life,” the 22-year-old told the Daily Mail . “I was so insecure and embarrassed by my scars, I used to cover my face with a scarf,” she said.
“I always hung onto my dream but I never knew that one day it would be possible and I would be launching my own label.”
Rupa now works with the Stop Acid Attacks organisation, which helps survivors ease back into society.
If you are moved by what you have just seen and read, please decide right now to support Rupa to establish her own business to sell her lovely designs and support herself.
Our Goal is to rent a shop for Rupa in a decent locality in Delhi which Rupa can decorate as her boutique. We want to also provide her with the initial capital for her shop so that she can buy the equipment and employ other acid attack survivors to work with her.
3 Responses
its so unfair how women are treated, if it wasn’t for a women, there would be no man. women give life to man, yes it takes a man to make this happen but without the love and care of a woman (9 months in the womb) there is no baby. I no different countries practice different ways, but this is just horrible. i don’t know whats worse, giving a woman a choice to be raped /killed, or rapping and brutally killing infant girls… there both pretty horrific, and it makes me wonder what are we doing as a human species? how can there be so much hate towards women? children? we as adults are to be protectors of children and family, i hope there is such a thing as karma and i hope the people who have harmed these women get a who butt load. I also hope these survivors make the best of their life, and I hope they can find love and know not all men are cruel and hateful. I also just want to say, though it may sound cliché, i love all of you.
Title of video is incorrect – it isn’t ‘world’ it is men hate women.’ But even the UN refuses to name sex of those individuals who hate women. If women hate other women then women in vast numbers would be daily committing violence against women and girls but that isn’t what is happening. It is men I repeat men and men have their Male Supremacist System securely in place which supports; condones; justifies and excuses mens’ choice and agency to commit atrocities against women because their sex is female.
Same applies to the issue concerning acid attacks because it isn’t women attacking other women it is men. Naming the sex which for centuries has perpetrated sadistic violence against women and girls is essential in order to effect real change. Refusing to name men as the perpetrators ensures men remain complacent and claim ‘not my problem guv/bro.’
The young women who posed for the photo shoot are very, very courageous because I have no doubt men will be rushing to their computers to send vicious women hating threats to these women.
So whilst we should support and celebrate the daily courage of these young women we must also never forget it is men who subjected these women to sadistic male violence because all these women enacted their belief they are human not mens’ disposable dehumanised sex slaves.
Hecuba – the lady in this story was attacked by her stepMOTHER. Women are just as capable of men of these terrible crimes. Although they may not perform the majority, they are still guilty of many.