BROKEN LIVES

Paula Bronstein

Getty Images

Nazgul,35, a self-immolation victim covers her face to hide her pain while her burns are cleaned. Afghan women turn to self-immolation as a way to commit suicide,choosing this method turns their life into a living hell. There is an Afghan proverb: ' Your bones belong to your family but your muscles belong to your husband'. The problems facing women in Afghanistan are complex and are closely linked to their subordinate position in the Afghan society where conservative Islamic laws and traditions dictate what a woman is allowed to do in a male dominated world. Forced marriages, domestic violence, poverty and lack of access to education are the main reasons for suicide.

Paula Bronstein, "BROKEN LIVES," in POYi Archive, Item #46044, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/46044 (accessed November 22, 2024).