Hijran
Self-immolation in Herat. (Photo: AFP)
HERAT: An Afghan woman in an attempt to commit suicide has burned herself in the western Herat province, an official said.
Domestic violence has led Shabnam, 25, to commit suicide, her relatives said, as she was in a critical health condition at Herat provincial hospital.
Shabnam was brought to the hospital "long after the incident", a doctor at the state-run medical facility, Mohammad Arif Jalali, told Pajhwok Afghan News on Thursday.
A relative of Shabnam, who wished to remain unidentified, said Shabnam tried to deliberately put an end to her life as she was married without her consent two years back and was persistently maltreated by her in-laws.
At least four suicide cases, three of them women, have been registered at the provincial hospital in Herat over the past three weeks, indicating a shocking figure. Last year's record shows that 95 people, most of the women, committed suicide in the province.
The relatively modern Afghan city has a history of such incidents, mainly originating from family disputes. Despite serious concerns raised by Human rights and women activists, no remarkable step has been taken forward to tackle the serious social challenge.