Laxmi Agarwal: Refusing to hide her scars
Updated 1100 GMT (1900 HKT) March 8, 2018
Editor's Note: CNN is committed to covering gender inequality wherever it occurs in the world. This story is part of As Equals, a year-long series.
At 15, the man Laxmi Agarwal refused to marry threw acid over her as she waited at a bus stop in New Delhi.
India has one of the world's highest rates of acid attacks, but Agarwal is campaigning to change that.
One reason for the high volume of attacks is the cheap and easy availability of acid. In 2014, Agarwal collected more than 27,000 signatures that led to legislation restricting the sale of acid, as well as providing compensation and rehabilitation for survivors.
"Today I love my face because I realized your face is not the only important thing," Agarwal said. "I didn't give importance to my face. I gave importance to my work."
Agarwal is now a TV host, campaigner for Stop Acid Attacks and has received the International Woman of Courage Award from former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama. Her TED talk, "He threw acid on my face, not on my dreams," has been watched by over a million people.
CNN spoke to Agarwal about involving men in the fight for women's rights.
