KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A young woman ended her life by drinking battery acid in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, local sources said, in the latest reported case of suicide as incidents involving young men and women continue to rise under Taliban rule.
The incident occurred earlier this week in Andar district of Ghazni province, according to the sources, who said the woman had married two years ago and was a victim of domestic violence.
According to the sources, the woman’s husband left for Dubai shortly after their marriage and had no contact with her. They said she drank battery acid and died after being taken to Ghazni Regional Hospital.
Taliban authorities have not commented on the incident.
The case is the latest in a series of reported suicides involving young women and men across Afghanistan. Local sources, rights groups, and activists have linked many of the cases to domestic violence, forced marriages, worsening economic hardship, mental health challenges, and the severe restrictions imposed on women and girls under Taliban rule.
Afghanistan has long struggled with widespread domestic violence, but human rights organizations say conditions have deteriorated since the Taliban regained power. They say sweeping restrictions on women’s education, employment, and public life, combined with the closure of protection services and the absence of legal safeguards, have left many women with no avenues for support.
The Taliban shut down women’s protection centers established under the former Western-backed government and dismantled institutions that provided legal and social assistance to survivors of abuse and domestic violence.
Between January 2022 and June 2024, the human rights monitoring group Afghan Witness documented at least 840 cases of violence against women and girls, including 332 killings. The group said the actual number is likely much higher because many incidents go unreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and limited access to justice.
