Marzieh had to deal with the disfigurement of her face from this sexist assault. Although the law didn’t protect her, she wants to inspire other women to not remain silent in the face of injustice.
Although feminism has been gaining ground in the world with its struggle to assert women’s rights, aggressions against women continue. Condemnable cases, such as Marzieh’s, continue to be a reflection of a society that needs to change its course quickly.
Marzieh is a young Iranian woman who was indiscriminately attacked by two men for no reason. One of them threw acid in her face and disfigured half of it.
German photographer Mihaela Noroc, who is dedicated to “capturing portraits and stories of incredible women” around the world, told the story of Marzieh on her Instagram account The Atlas of Beauty, where she highlighted the strength she has had in order to overcome this tragic episode.
“She is Marzieh, one of the strongest women I have ever met. I took this photo a while ago, in Iran, and today, after having her consent, I decided to publish it,” Noroc said.
“Marzieh was driving in Isfahan, Iran, six years ago, when two men on a motorcycle came close to her car. One of them threw acid on her face and then they ran away. Police never caught them, although the street was surveyed by video cameras,” she added.
However, this was not the only time such an assault was seen. According to Noroc, many other similar cases happened but with the same unfortunate outcome: no one was prosecuted for these crimes.
“All these horrible acts were directed towards women who were not wearing conservative outfits. Many Iranians believe that these attacks were made in complicity with different authorities to discourage women from adopting a more liberal way of dressing,” said the photographer.
Despite Marzieh’s ordeal, she is fighting to support other women who have had to go through similar situations. She is trying to raise awareness about these attacks and is pursuing her goal of getting the sale of acid banned.
“Although she started to cry when she remembered that horrible day, she wanted to tell me the whole story. Then she smiled again. It was the smile of a powerful woman, who found the strength and courage to overcome the suffering and to fight for her cause every single day, so this would not happen again to other women,” Noroc noted.
