By: Sara
Officials at Herat regional hospital said 2045 suicide attempts have been registered on this solar year, from March 2021 to the same month in 2022, in Herat. And 1760, which make 86 percent of the suicide attempts, were made by women who wanted to end their lives.
The age range of women, who attempt to commit suicide, is between 15 and 35, said Jalali.
The data shows the number of registered female suicide attempts have decreased by 30 percent compared to last solar year.
But the actual number may be higher because women, who attempts to kill themselves, often report the suicide attempts as accident due to the stigma around committing suicide.
With the return of the Taliban to power, even more women are reporting suicide attempts as accidents when they are brought into the hospital.
“۹۰ percent of women hiding suicide attempts,” in the hospitals while the doctors’ examinations clearly show they intended to commit “suicide,” said Jalali.
Self-immolation, drug overdose, hanging, and eating chemicals such as detergents are the main suicide methods in Afghanistan.
The rate of female suicide in Herat has always been higher than male suicide. Of six who have committed suicide this solar year, five were women, Jalali said.
The leading causes of female suicide are economic hardships, mental health issues, and forced and underage marriages.
Semin, 18, said her parents forced her to marry a man she didn’t like. She attempted to kill herself because she doesn’t have a happy marriage.
Women’s rights activists said it was highly unlikely that female suicide attempts dropped by 30 percent in Herat as data shows. They said the data shows a decrease because most women conceal their suicide attempts. They fear the Taliban’s investigation and the punishment which may follow.
Women rights activists said lack of access to justice is an important reason why women hide their suicide intention in the hospitals, according to activists. Their access to the judiciary system has diminished since the Taliban took power.
Wahid Noorzad, head of the mental health department at Herat regional hospital, said domestic violence is one of the main reasons behind the suicide in the province.
“Restrictions on women to work, get education and choose their spouse, the economic problems, forced marriages, and sexual and emotional abuses are the main reasons why women attempted to commit suicide this year,” Noorzad added.
