Health officials in Badakhshan province say that around 30 people who attempted to commit suicide have been brought to the hospital in the past three months.
Homayoun Forootan, head of the Badakhshan Provincial Hospital, added that most of the patients are women. Two have died and others have been rescued.
“In total, there have been 29 cases of violence [attempted suicide] in the last three months, of which 27 are women and two are men,” he said. According to Forootan, domestic violence and poverty are the main causes of these incidents.
“Poverty and unemployment is the main reason for committing suicide, as well as those whose spouses are unemployed and people who are under great economic pressure,” Forootan added.
One of the women, whose husband committed suicide in recent months, said family problems and poverty were the main reasons for her husband’s suicide.
“My husband and I were both unemployed. When his children asked him for something, he did not have the money to buy anything for them and he was worried all the time,” said the wife of the person who committed suicide.
Residents of Badakhshan expressed concern over the increase in the number of women and youth who attempt suicide. “Unfavorable economic conditions are creating challenges for them and they are being forced to commit suicide,” said Lal Mah Hasrat, a resident of Badakhshan.
“This is because of poverty, this is because of not going to schools and universities, they should pay serious attention to the schools and universities,” said Forouhar, a resident of Badakhshan.
This is the first time in recent years that due to poverty and family problems a number of people committed suicide in one of the provinces of the country. Last year, a number of residents of Injil district of Herat province were forced to sell their kidneys due to poverty.
Moreover, of the 1,600 individuals who have attempted suicide, at least 300 of them are men while others are women and girls.
The figures indicate that almost 60 percent of suicide attempts have occurred in Herat districts, where the directorate says people are living in poor conditions and are faced with a lack of awareness and education.
Self-immolation, suicide by hanging and the use of high doses of different medicines are the most common ways used by those who attempted suicide in the province, said Mohammad Arif Jalali, head of government-run Herat hospital.
“Suicide attempts are on the rise in Herat,” Jalali said. “Most of the victims are between 15 to 25 years old who attempt suicide due to various reasons.”
The health directorate’s assessments show that domestic violence, forced marriages, lack of education and poverty are among the main reasons behind suicide attempts among the young generation in the province.
The head of Herat Hospital’s Burn Unit, Haidari, said lack of awareness about life is also among the main reasons behind suicide attempts by the youths.
Meanwhile, statistics by the provincial Women’s Affairs Directorate show that at least 600 cases of violence against women have been reported in the province since last March.
Herat Women’s Affairs Directorate Sumayya Taheri said women prefer to commit suicide “instead of suffering domestic violence”.
“The graph of suicide attempts and self-immolation cases is high in Herat and most of such cases are not registered,” Taheri said. “The statistics of the Public Health Directorate show an increase in suicide attempts and self-immolation cases in Herat which is concerning for us.”—Tolonews
