Spike in Female Suicides in Afghanistan; The Sufferings of the Gentle Sex Under Taliban

Women’s psychological wellness has been worse after the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan four years ago. Suicidal thoughts and actions are on the rise, according to recent data.

According to an Afghan Witness study, 195 suicides by women occurred un 22 months ending in February 2024. Females and members of racial minorities are particularly impacted by Taliban takeover. Etilaat Roz recorded more than 103 instances of women taking their own lives in 28 regions only in one year. The majority of the casualties were less than 20. There was a dramatic increase in suicides and attempts for suicide among women in the year ending in August 2022, according to data gathered by the Guardian newspaper from medical professionals in one-third of Afghanistan’s regions.

But these numbers don’t represent everything. The entire scope of the issue has been concealed by the Taliban’s media restrictions, fear of reprisals, and cultural shame.

These disasters’ origins are as complicated as they make life tragic. Afghan female community has been afflicted by destitution, joblessness, arranged marriages, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, and ongoing mental trauma. These are further exacerbated by gender-based atrocities and abuses committed by the Taliban. Many people struggle in solitude and have no way to get help.

Stories of female suicides appear in the news nearly every day, and the individual tales are heartbreaking. Therapists observe that a frantic urge to get out of excruciating psychological pain frequently motivates suicide rather than a wish for death. According to an Afghan psychologist, women feel imprisoned and despondent because of the Taliban’s restrictive society.

The same doctor emphasizes that the new administration’s severe limitations on the female group are the main cause of the startling increase in female suicides. At the top of the list of constraints are the widespread restrictions on their liberties and their rejection of education beyond elementary schools. These restrictions merely deprive women of their opportunities for the future. Additionally, they exacerbate psychological suffering, which prevents many people from feeling that they have any way out of their harsh circumstances.

Based on the WHO, males are almost twice as probable as females to take their lives by suicide worldwide. In Afghanistan, women currently make almost 80% of recorded acts of suicide, defying this pattern. The nation is currently among the planet’s most distressed. According to a Gallup poll, 98% of Afghan citizens experience emotional suffering. The majority of victims of this issue are females.

Taliban’s Role

Women have been excluded from society as a result of the Taliban’s policy. The majority of jobs for women are eliminated, and schooling beyond the elementary school is prohibited. Simple liberties like going to playgrounds or flying alone are prohibited. Unregulated brutality and an increase in arranged marriages exacerbate the oppressive atmosphere.

The United Nations assessed that fifty percent of Afghan citizens experienced psychological suffering even prior to the Taliban’s restoration to power. In Afghanistan, psychological illness predominantly afflicted women.

The circumstance has significantly deteriorated since August, 2021. Approximately 70 percent of Afghan women experience feelings of isolation, despair, and suicide thoughts, according to a UN Women research.

Ninety percent of Afghan females evaluated their psychological conditions as poor or extremely poor by the end of September last year, according to a UN Women assessment.

The governing rule of law has violently suppressed women’s nonviolent public protests calling for their freedoms.

In addition, the Taliban’s prohibitions hinder attempts to deal with the psychological plague. For a lot of people, availability to healthcare is practically impossible due to the withdrawal of foreign help and the closure of numerous medical clinics. Strict regulations on female physicians additionally limit treatments available to women.

Health professionals are not allowed to divulge the most recent suicide data. Additionally, healthcare facilities are not allowed to release data. Families sometimes prefer to stay silent out of humiliation or worried about Taliban reprisals. Just a small portion of the disaster is probably represented by the few incidents that make headlines.