In 2011, 18-year-old Afghani woman Mumtaz and her family were the victims of a horrific acid attack by a militia leader after she rejected his marriage proposal.
The young woman from the province of Kunduz was doused in acid and left disfigured and emotionally traumatised, CNN reports. Mumtaz and her sister, who was also targeted, were sent to India for facial reconstruction surgery.
But as The New York Times reports, Mumtaz’s heartbreak did not end when her attackers were jailed.
According to the publication, Mumtaz’s husband was killed last month by relatives of the perpetrators of the senseless acid attack. She was left with just 2,000 Afghanis ($37 AUD) to her name.
The money has now run out and Mumtaz has to raise her 18-month-old daughter and newborn, who was born prematurely on Monday, alone.
“I have no hope. I have nothing,” she said.
“It is very hard to live like this. There is no one to share the pain with. I don’t know what the future will be like for my daughters.”
You can read more of Mumtaz’s heartbreaking plight here.