This post was written by Hatchet columnist Niketa Brar.

Part of my education as an international affairs major requires me to read up on many, many exotic cultures. Having taken multiple courses on human rights abuses, I’ve read about what many believe are the worst possible things humans can do to one another. The idea is that through education about these problems, maybe we can change someone’s reality.

Yet once in a while, I’m confronted by some horror that still takes me by surprise. The concept of burning a woman’s face off has that affect on me. Having grown up in the Middle East and having cultural roots in India, I understand the importance of a having a pretty face in these societies – or a face at all. For women in societies dominated by arranged marriages, their face is the ticket to life. In parts of the world where dowries are very much a part of life, a beautiful face can sometimes offset the land, cattle, gold or other presents required of the bride’s family in arranging a marriage.

So destroying a face is a two-fold tragedy. On one hand, it destroys self-worth and eliminates work opportunities, like Naeema Azar’s real estate agent position. On the other hand, for the girls whose schooling was reason enough for an acid attack, it destroys the potential for what these societies consider to be the only acceptable destiny for women – marriage.