KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 17-year-old girl has taken her own life in Daykundi province, central Afghanistan, amid a rising suicide rate among women and girls in the country.
Local Taliban authorities have confirmed the incident, explaining that the young girl committed suicide by hanging at home in Ishtarlay district on Thursday.
The motive behind her tragic act remains unclear. However, local Taliban authorities have said that they are investigating the incident.
This marks the latest incident of suicide committed by women and girls in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Over the past three years, dozens of women and girls have taken their own lives across the country.
Under Taliban rule, life has become extremely challenging for Afghan women and girls, who are deprived of almost all fundamental rights, including education, work, and social mobility.
Last year, UN Women reported that nearly 70% of women and girls in Afghanistan are struggling with anxiety, isolation, and depression, which often leads to domestic violence and, ultimately, suicide.
Afghanistan has become one of very few countries worldwide where more women than men die by suicide. According to the UN, around 80% of all suicide attempts in Afghanistan in recent years have been made by women and young girls.
UN officials and rights activists have raised concerns over widespread mental health issues and the increasing number of suicide attempts among Afghan women, linking them to the Taliban’s restrictions, abuse, domestic violence, and forced marriages.
“Afghanistan is in the midst of a mental health crisis precipitated by a women’s rights crisis,” said Alison Davidian, the country representative for UN Women last year. “We are witnessing a moment where growing numbers of women and girls see death as preferable to living under the current circumstances.”
