VZCZCXRO4433
PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #2974 3461115
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121115Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6378
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 1290
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1982
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 5867
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 2683
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 8282
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 7337
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002974 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO S/GWI AND SCA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KWMN KPAO PK
SUBJECT: NOMINATION FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD 
 
¶1.    Embassy Islamabad nominates Masarrat Misbah for the 
International Women of Courage award. 
 
¶2. In 2003, Masarrat Misbah, a beautician by profession, 
decided to take action against an abhorrent cultural 
practice: acid attacks against women and girls. Men and boys 
perpetrate these attacks when they feel challenged by the 
actions of women and girls. Cases range from women spurning 
marital proposals to girls attending school in perceived 
"violation" of prevailing cultural norms. South Asia has the 
world's highest incidence of acid attacks and in Pakistan 
victims are usually young, between 13 and 30 years of age. In 
some cases, the attacks are carried out by family members and 
too often the perpertrators are not charged or punished. A 
victim is typically attacked in the face, sometimes left 
blinded or  deeply-scarred, but victims may also be burned 
across the entire body. Disfigurement leads to depression and 
reduced self-esteem that combined with social ostracism can 
render a victim helpless in society, unable to be married or 
find good employment. 
 
¶3. Masarrat Misbah, observing that while these heinous 
attacks often received wide media attention, little was done 
to help the victims, decided to start an organization to 
provide women with the medical and cosmetic care they needed 
to be able to reintegrate into society. In 2003, she posted 
an ad in the local newspaper and immediately received 42 
requests for help. After six years of work, her  Depilex 
Smileagain Foundation, with the collaboration of Italian, 
French and Pakistani surgeons, has provided over 800 
reconstructive operations free of charge. Misbah's foundation 
communicates its services via beauty salons nationwide. The 
foundation's work over the years expanded to include a public 
awareness campaign engaging the media and government 
officials, a newly-established vocational training program 
that has helped 10 acid attack survivors find employment, and 
the on-going construction of a rehabilitation and vocational 
training center. The foundation also employs victims as 
beauticians in the network of Depilex Beauty Centers. 
 
¶4. (U) Masarrat Misbah's work extends beyond that of her 
foundation. She has become an advocate for the need to 
challenge this practice socially and to bring justice to 
perpetrators. Misbah has spoken to many government 
authorities, including the national Women's Parliamentary 
Caucus, and has pushed for Pakistani laws to mandate harsher 
punishments for acid attacks on women. 
 
¶5. (U) Misbah's courageous efforts to assist the women and 
girls who are the victims of acid attacks are significant 
because she challenges the ingrained injustices and 
inequalities that women experience in Pakistani society. 
Reflective of the risks she has taken, Misbah has received 
threats against her life demanding that she stop assisting 
victims and reporting the cases to the police. Recognizing 
Misbah's efforts through the International Women of Courage 
award would advance the Mission's goal assisting Pakistan in 
developing civil society and combating injustice as a means 
to tackle the root causes of extremism. 
 
¶6. Nominee details: 
Masarrat Misbah is the President and founder of the Depilex 
Smileagain Foundation. www.depilexsmileagain.com Ms. Misbah 
has been informed of this nomination and will accept the 
award, if selected. 
DOB: 11/25/1959. 
COB: Pakistan 
Citizenship: Pakistan. 
Address: 22-Z, DHA, Lahore, Pakistan ph: 42-3576-1080 
(address must include phone number) 
Phone: 92-42-3576-1080 
Email: massarat.misbah@gmail.com. 
Passport Number: Post will obtain. 
Languages: English, Urdu. 
 
PATTERSON 
PATTERSON