In Taliban-led Afghanistan, women face a challenging dilemma. Either to continue living a life that is not truly theirs, or break free from the oppression through suicide. After the Taliban assumed control of the country in 2021, it quickly tightened its chokehold on women’s rights.
This has now snowballed into a full-blown mental health crisis, where an alarmingly large number of women have resorted to taking their own lives, The Guardian reported citing data collected from public hospitals and mental health clinics from parts of Afghanistan.
The country’s tyrant authorities have managed to keep the numbers a secret. But data privately shared by health workers between August 2021 and August 2022 reflects that Afghanistan is one of the very few nations where more women die by suicide than men.
Taliban’s stringent rules can be blamed for it. From a ban on education to a prohibition of entering public spaces, women have lost major control over their lives. “Afghanistan is in the midst of a mental health crisis precipitated by a women’s rights crisis. We are witnessing a moment where growing numbers of women and girls see death as preferable to living under the current circumstances,” said Alison Davidian, the country representative for UN Women.
Are hospitals in Afghanistan falling apart?
Overall, women made up more than three-quarters of recorded suicide deaths and treated survivors in Afghanistan. The secrecy behind the figures can be attributed to the stigma around suicide. Some women who attempt suicide are not given medical help, while others who die are buried without their deaths being put on record.
Hospitals are also bearing the brunt of an increase in patients who require mental health care. Medics in Herat province revealed that only 25 mental health beds are available for a population of millions. “Patients do not get the hospitalisation time and counselling they need. Many times, we put two patients in one bed,” said one worker.
