Stop Violence Against Women
A project of The Advocates for Human Rights
Domestic Violence
General Information Best Practices Law and Policy Ongoing Developments
Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking Overview Training and Advocacy Ongoing Developments Sex Trafficking and Safe Harbor Resource Pack
Sexual Harassment
General Information Training and Advocacy Law and Policy Ongoing Developments
Sexual Assault
General Information Advocacy and Training Law and Policy Ongoing Developments
Other Forms of Violence Against Women
Crimes Committed in the Name of "Honor" Dowry-Related Violence Female Environmental Refugees Female Genital Mutilation Femicide Forced and Early Marriage Forced/Coerced Sterilization Gender-Based Asylum Harmful Practices Indigenous Women Maltreatment of Widows Son Preference Violence Against LGBT Women Violence Against the Girl Child Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS Women and Armed Conflict Violence Against Women with Disabilities
Russian Site
  1. Home
  2. What's New

Afghanistan: Self-Immolation on the Rise Among Wom

Monday, September 15, 2008

An article published 9 September 2008, by the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN),  reports on the rise of self-immolation cases in Afghanistan. The article cites domestic violence as one of the main causal factors in self-immolation cases.  The women who resort to self-immolation have often faced years of extreme abuse at the hands of one or more of their male relatives.   According to the article, self-immolation cases are most common in rural areas where poverty and unemployment are high.  Information about the severity of domestic violence is disseminated in cities, but security issues prevent women’s groups from publishing the information in the rural areas that have the highest rates of self-immolation.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) confirmed the rise in cases.  A 2007 study conducted by AIHRC states, “"Domestic violence against women not only has serious physical and mental effects on women but also causes other grave problems such as self-immolation, suicide, escape from home, forced prostitution and addiction to narcotics”.  Unfortunately, the men who abuse these women and lead them to self-immolation are rarely prosecuted. 

For full article, click here.

Compiled from: Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), “Afghanistan: Self-Immolation on the Rise among Women”, IRIN, 9 September, 2008.

For More Information

For more information, please visit the Effects of Domestic Violence page of this website, and the Afghanistan country page.

lg
md
sm