Pakistani Acid Victim Fakhra Younus Commits Suicide in Italy

Pakistani acid attack victim Fakhra Younus has committed suicide in Italy, where she had been living and receiving treatment.

Younus, 33, jumped from the sixth floor of a building in Rome. Her body has been returned to Pakistan.

The attack sparked international outrage and helped raise awareness of acid victims in Pakistan, where violence towards women is a significant problem.

Younus was a teenage dancing girl when she met her future husband, Bilal Khar, the son of Ghulam Mustafa Khar, a former governor of Punjab province.

The couple was married for three years before Younus left her husband for allegedly physically and verbally abusing her.

She claimed he tracked her down to her mother's house in 2000 and poured acid over her face while she slept.

She suffered severe burns to her face and body and underwent more than three dozen surgical operations over a decade.

Her husband was acquitted of the attack, raising speculation of corruption.

In a TV interview after her death, Khar said Younus killed herself because she did not have enough money rather than because of her injuries. He claimed he was being hounded over the issue.

Her death was less than a month after Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won the country's first Oscar for Saving Face, a documentary about acid attack victims.

As awareness of acid attacks has been raised, the Pakistani government has introduced laws that explicitly criminalise acid attacks and carry a minimum sentence of 14 years.

Women's rights activists have warned that many cases continue to go unreported and efforts need to focus on strengthening legislation against domestic violence in Pakistan.

Fakhra Younus: Profile of Pakistan Acid Victim who Died Twice