News

The Afghan government has launched a national media campaign to address the growing problem of self-immolation.

Most people who set fire to themselves, on purpose or by accident, are women.

Many try to commit suicide because they are victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse.

Until recently, most cases were clustered in the western Herat province, near the border with Iran, where it has been described as a more common means of committing suicide.

Typical cases involve young women who are badly burned by household fuel or cooking oil.

Many suffer terrible scarring and in some cases the injuries are fatal.

Families are often ashamed if a woman in their household tries to kill herself, especially if it is because of domestic abuse.

So it is often hard to know which cases are genuine accidents and which are suicides.

But it does seem clear that the number of cases has been increasing - and this has now become not a regional but a national issue.