KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, has called for an investigation and accountability following the suicide of a 20-year-old woman named Abida in Ghor province.
In a post on X today, Bennett described the reports of Abida’s death as “devastating” and extended condolences to her family.
The UN rights expert also urged greater mental health support in Afghanistan due to the systematic gender-based repression by the Taliban.
Local sources confirmed to KabulNow that on Sunday, Abida set herself on fire using petrol in Taywara district and later died from her injuries.
According to the sources, she took her life after a Taliban member attempted to forcefully marry her off to his brother.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage among women’s rights activists.
Several activists have called for urgent international attention to the worsening plight of Afghan women and demanded an end to engagement with the Taliban regime.
Rights groups have repeatedly warned of a rise in forced and child marriages under Taliban rule. In recent months, dozens of women and girls across the country have reportedly died by suicide in efforts to escape forced marriage, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.
More broadly, gender-based violence (GBV) has surged in Afghanistan. A report by Afghan Witness documented over 700 GBV cases between January 2022 and June 2024, affecting at least 840 women and girls. Of those, 322 were classified as femicides—women killed because of their gender. The report also recorded 287 cases of arrest, detention, or enforced disappearance, and 75 cases of sexual assault or rape.
