"Forever Scarred""
Masooma, 18-years-old, who suffers with severe burns on 70% of her body from self-immolation, shows her scars on her hands at the Herat Regional Hospital Burn Unit October 22, 2004 in Herat, Afghanistan. Masooma, who is now engaged, was burned two months ago and declined to admit to the reasons behind her suicide attempt. The medical staff says that they have registered over 80 self-immolations in the first seven months of this year. The problems facing women in Afghanistan are complex and are closely linked to their subordinate position in the Afghan society where conservative Islamic laws and traditions dictate what a woman is allowed to do in a male dominated world. Forced marriages, domestic violence, poverty and lack of access to education are several reasons for suicide.
