A woman in Daikundi province has died after overdosing on opium, with some sources who know the family saying it was a deliberate act.
Ghulam Ali Jawid, press officer of Daikundi police, told Rukhshana Media that the woman died Monday in Monara area of Kijran district of the province.
Sources close to the woman’s family said she had previously attempted to end her life by overdosing, but her family had caught it in time and transferred her to the district health center which saved her life, Mr Jawid said.
On this occasion, Mr Jawid said the woman was home alone.
Mohammad Rahim*, a resident of Monara and one of the family’s neighbors, said that the woman was married and had faced challenges with family disputes and violence.
“The victim was not happy with her life for a long time and she had attempted to end her life once before by taking opium,” Rahim said.
Reports indicate that the incidence of suicide is on the rise, although official statistics are not available to verify it. Underlying causes for the increase have been said to be increasing domestic violence and mental stressors caused by the closure of schools and universities to girls and women, and the removal of many other freedoms and protections.
Extreme poverty and rising unemployment have been linked to the increase in domestic violence, especially since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021.
*Names have been changed at the request of the individual
