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First Place
Paula Bronstein Getty Images
"BROKEN LIVES"
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Hajar, 18, a self-immolation victim is
treated for her burns, she lost both of her thumbs after her suicide attempt
November 16,2006 in Herat. She is being treated at the Herat Regional
hospital Burn unit with burns over 45% of her body and has been hospitalized
for 2 months. Hajar's mother says she has mental problems and suffers from
depression. Afghan women turn to self-immolation as a way to commit
suicide,choosing this method turns their life into a living hell. There is an
Afghan proverb: ' Your bones belong to your family but your muscles belong to
your husband'. 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 the main reasons for suicide. Bibijan
mourns the death of her second daughter, Guljan,18, on November 14,2006. She
died from self-immolation yesterday at the Herat Regional hospital Burn unit
with burns over 65% of her body in Herat, Afghanistan. Bibijan lost her 15
year old daughter last year to self-burning also and has 8 children left.
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