AFGHANISTAN: Self-immolation on the rise among women – AIHRC

Follow @{0}HERAT, 9 September 2008 (IRIN) - The number of women who seek death through self-immolation has increased significantly in Herat city, according to public health officials. At least 47 cases of deliberate self-immolation were registered at Herat city hospital over the past four months of which only seven were saved, health officials said. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission says domestic violence, forced marriages, lack of awareness about women's rights and lack of access to unbiased justice are among the major causes which drive some women to self-burning. From Herat Province, in the west of Afghanistan, here is a report by IRIN's Khalid Nahiz …