In Afghanistan, the most desperate women turn to items that even the poorest have access to as a way of escape: matches and cooking fuel. The New York Times takes a heart-wrenching look at the women who burn themselves in failed suicide attempts driven by forced marriages, abuse, and crippling depression. The patients of the Herat burn hospital, the country's only center focused on such victims, are growing in number—75 were admitted early last month, up 30% from last October.
The Times looks into the faces behind the numbers: One, Farzana, was married at age 12, and set herself on fire at just 17, tired of years of beatings from her husband and in-laws. "The thing that forced me to set myself on fire was when my father-in-law said: ‘You are not able to set yourself on fire,'" she explained. Others were actually burned by their husbands and mother-in-laws. As for why they take this route, one doctor says the women assume death will be instant, and fool-proof. One patient considered jumping from a roof, but feared she'd only break her leg. With fire, "It would all be over." (More Afghanistan stories.)
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