PRAGUE, 8 February 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Nasrin Mohammadi is a member of a women's
NGO in Marivan in Iran's western province of Kurdistan. She says the number of
women who attempt to kill themselves through self-immolation is growing in her
city.
One of the recent cases involves a woman who set herself on fire to protest her
husband's decision to marry another woman.
"I know this woman who is illiterate; her husband became very rich in a very
short time and he forced his wife to sign a letter of consent so he could marry
another woman," she said. "She didn't know what she was signing. Since then she
has attempted to commit suicide by self-immolation; 80 percent of her body is
burned and considering her condition I think she will die [soon]."
"We should at least boost the women's morale; we should give them some hope
for the future so that they don't feel that they are totally alone and
defenseless."
Traditional Life
Mohammadi tells RFE/RL that due to conservative traditions and social
restrictions, women in her region have little hope in life and often a grim
future.
"Desperation is the main reason for the self-immolation [of women]," she
continued. "Women face more pressure in a traditional society and in our region
because of deprivations and the rule of [old] traditions this pressure has
become much stronger. Women in our region are seen as 'second class' citizens.
The economic situation of women is a main factor; they are totally dependent on
men and also the laws of our country are such that the courts never protect
women."
The Kurdistan Human Rights Organization has said that for many women in the
region, burning oneself is an outcry against the "patriarchal system" that rules
the society and also against the abuse of their basic rights.
Mohammad Sadegh Kabudvand says violence against women is one of the main reasons
for suicide among Kurdish women.
Subjected To Violence
"It is certain that pressure and domestic violence and religious prejudice is
causing this problem," he said. "In the Kurdish regions men have more [rights]
at home and in the society and women are considered inferior."
Kabudvand told RFE/RL that all the documented cases of self-immolation of women
in Iran's Western Azerbaijan Province involve young women -- between the ages of
14 to 30 years old -- with little education. He says his organization is
planning to document cases of self-immolation in other provinces such as Ilam
and Kermanshah where self-immolation is reportedly common.
Mohsen Janghorbani is a professor of epidemiology at Isfahan University of
Medical Sciences who has done some research on attempted suicides in Ilam. He
believes easy access to flammable materials such as petrol makes self-immolation
the most common method of suicide in Ilam. Professor Janghorbani told RFE/RL
that self-immolation is not just a way to end life, but also a way to send a
message to their families and to the society.
"I think that women do not want to really commit suicide but they want, in fact,
to make their cry for help to be heard and say that they are facing injustice,"
he said. "They use this means, [even though] it is the worst form of suicide.
Most of them are young women who are suffering in forced marriages or have some
other family-related problems."
Education Needed
He believes better protection of women's rights and economic development in the
region could help tackle the problem. He adds that a woman's access to a better
education would make them more aware of their rights and help them express their
despair in other ways.
Nasrin Mohammadi from the Cultural Society of Marivan's women agrees. "Laws
should be changed in a way that they will protect women," she said. "[The
mentality] of the families should change and also the culture of the society
[should change]. It needs a long time. Currently we can't do much but we should
at least boost the women's morale; we should give them some hope for the future
so that they don't feel that they are totally alone and defenseless."
Experts believe the availability of family mental-health centers and
psychological programs may reduce the rate of self- immolation in the region.
The Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan has called on media and NGOs to help
raise people's awareness about women's issues in an effort to help change social
and cultural patterns relating to men's behavior. The organization has also
called on the Iranian government to join international agreements and
conventions that guarantee equal rights for women such as the UN "Convention On
The Elimination Of All Forms Of Violence Against Women."
