KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – An 11-year-old girl has taken her own life in northern Faryab province on Saturday, September 7, local sources reported.
According to the sources, the girl, identified as Fatima, was found hanged in the Kohi Khana area of the first district of Maimana, the provincial capital.
The sources indicate that Fatima died of suicide by hanging herself in her home.
The body has been transferred to a hospital for investigation.
The motive behind her tragic act remains unclear.
Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has become one of the most depressed countries in the world, with the highest rates of mental health issues and suicidal thoughts among its population.
Last year, a study conducted by the US-based organization Gallup found that 98% of Afghanistan’s population suffers from psychological distress. This is particularly distressing among women and girls, who have been denied fundamental rights such as education, employment, access to parks and gyms, travel, and other freedoms.
Investigative data from Etilaatroz and KabulNow revealed that in the past year alone, a staggering 213 men and women committed suicide across Afghanistan, with nearly 80% of them under the age of 20.
The true scale of the issue may be even greater, as many cases go unreported due to the Taliban’s stringent media controls and societal stigma surrounding mental health.
