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The Kurdistan Human Rights Organization is
expressing concern over the self-immolation of
Kurdish women in Iran's Western Azerbaijan Province.
The organization has published the name of more than
150 Kurdish women who have committed suicide in the
past nine months, the majority of them by setting
themselves on fire.
Observers and activists say self-immolation of women
is also happening in some other Western provinces of
Iran that have large Kurdish populations, such as
Ilam, Kermanshah, and Kurdistan. Domestic violence,
social injustice, and discrimination are cited as
the main reasons for self- immolation among women.
PRAGUE, 8 Feb (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]."
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."
www.rferl.org
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