An Afghan woman whose nose and ears were hacked off after she fled a forced marriage is urging abused women to “never give up and don’t lose hope”.

Aesha Mohammadzai was mutilated by her Taliban husband and in-laws and left for dead four years ago.

The then 19-year-old became a symbol for oppressed women in Afghanistan after appearing on the front of Time magazine.


Aesha Mohammadzai appeared on ITV’s Daybreak to spread a message of hope
On Tuesday Mohammadzai spoke exclusively to ITV’s Daybreak about her ongoing recovery and revealed the results of her reconstructive surgery so far.

Now 23, Mohammadzai is happy with her new nose and wants her experience to tell a new story – this time one of hope.

She said: “I want to tell all women who are suffering abuse to be strong. Never give up and don’t lose hope.”

Of the story behind that iconic photograph, she said: “Every day I was abused by my husband and his family. Mentally and physically. Then one day it became unbearable so I ran away.

“They caught me and put me in jail for five months. When I came out the judge sent me back to my husband. That night they took me to the mountains. They tied my hands and my feet. They said my punishment was to cut my nose and ears. And then they started to do it.”

Having passed out through pain and shock, Mohammadzai came to on the side of a mountainside, choking on her own blood, and managed to walk to her village where her father took her to hospital.

Article taken from huffingtopost.co