Self-immolation is seen as “a way out”
Feeling isolated and desperate due to domestic violence, illiteracy and poverty—one doctor in Kabul says he’s seen at least 80 young women set themselves on fire in the past year, while others beg doctors to kill them. One 20-year-old woman being treated at the burns centre of the provincial hospital in Herat after arguing with her husband said, “Don’t burn yourself. If you want a way out, use a gun: it’s less painful.” The post-Taliban constitution enshrines equal rights for men and women yet much of the country still treats women as second-class citizens.