Woman's nose cut off by husband

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Afghan woman's nose cut off by husband

Humayoon Babur, The Associated Press
First posted: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 09:18 AM EST | Updated: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 09:48 AM EST

KABUL -- The nose of a young woman in a remote northern region of Afghanistan was cut off by her husband, officials in the region said on Tuesday.

Fawzia Salimi, a hospital director in Maymana, capital of Faryab province, said 22-year-old Reza Gul was brought in early Monday having lost a great deal of blood.

Gul's husband, 25-year-old Mohammad Khan, has since fled their village. Salimi said the Afghan-Turk Hospital in Maymana was trying to arrange transport for Gul to Turkey for further treatment.

Domestic violence is widespread in Afghanistan, where women are often denied constitutional rights designed to protect them.

Violence has also become somewhat entrenched in Afghan society after 40 years of war, with nearly non-existent mental health care and few options or outlets for a traumatized population.

Hafizullah Fetrat, the head of Fayrab's provincial human rights commission, said violence in the area had risen by at least 30% in the past year.

"It's not just in Faryab, it is across the entire north of the country -- poverty, high unemployment, ignorance about marriage," he said.

Faryab borders Turkmenistan and is among the poorest regions of Afghanistan, with many people relying on government food handouts. Corruption is also rife, and many residents complaining that officials pilfer the aid.

Over the past year, the Taliban's presence in the region has grown. The militant group has intensified its campaign following the drawdown of the international combat mission in 2014.

The district where Gul's family lives is under Taliban control, said Rahmatullah Turkistani, a member of Fayab's provincial council.

Salimi said Khan had returned from Iran three months ago, and since then had repeatedly beaten and tortured his wife. He had also taken another wife who is just seven years old, she said.

Community elders and Taliban representatives in their village had tried mediating with the family to help sort out their problems, a traditional method of dealing with marital issues, Salimi said.

Khan had disappeared from the village, and local security forces including the intelligence agency and police were searching for him, said the provincial governor's spokesman Ahmad Jawed Dedar.

The Taliban is also looking for him. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that the group's gunmen were "seriously searching the area to find" Khan. If and when he was found, "then he will be dealt with according to Shariah law," Mujahid said, referring to the Islamic legal system.

Before cutting off his wife's nose, Khan had promised Taliban leaders in the village that he would stop harming Gul. As the village was under their control, the Taliban would likely find him first, Dedar said.

Severing women's noses is not unheard of in Afghanistan and like most abuse probably happens more often than is publicly acknowledged.

The case of Aisha Mohammadzai shocked the world in 2010 when she appeared on the cover of Time magazine with her nose cut off.

 

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Taliban Hunt Man Who Cut Off Wife's Nose

The man had allegedly been beating his wife since returning from abroad and had also taken another wife of just seven years old.

15:27 Tuesday 19 January 2016

It is hoped the woman will get reconstructive surgery in Turkey

The Taliban and the police are hunting a man who cut off his wife's nose in Afghanistan, according to officials.

Reza Gul lost a significant amount of blood in the attack and was rushed to hospital in the northwest of the country on Monday.

A spokesman for the governor of Faryab province said she would need reconstructive surgery and arrangements are being made to transfer her to Turkey.

It was not immediately clear why her husband, 25-year-old Mohammad Khan, attacked the mother-of-one.

Khan is believed to have recently come back from Iran.

He had repeatedly beaten his wife since returning, according to Maymana hospital director Fawzia Salimi, despite promising Taliban leaders he would stop.

He had also taken another wife, aged just seven, according to Ms Salimi.

Police and the intelligence agency are searching for Khan, who has fled the village, said the governor's spokesman, Ahmad Jawed Bedar.

Taliban gunmen are also hunting him and say he will be "dealt with according to Sharia law", according to a spokesman for the group.

A photograph of the woman sparked outrage on social media.

"Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned," said one women’s rights activist, Alema.

"Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women."

Domestic violence is widespread in Afghanistan and women are often denied constitutional rights designed to protect them.

Violence in impoverished Fayrab province has risen at least 30% in the last year, said Hafizullah Fetrat, head of the regional human rights commission,

"It's not just in Faryab," said Mr Fetrat."It is across the entire north of the country - poverty, high unemployment, ignorance about marriage."

In 2010, an image of 18-year-old Bibi Aisha - who suffered a similar attack by an abusive husband, was featured on the front page of Time magazine.

It led to widespread support for Aisha, who was later taken to the US to be given a prosthetic nose.