Around 3,000 Afghans Commit Suicide Every Year

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) reported that up to 3.000 people are committing suicide in the country each year, 80 percent of whom are women. Speaking at an event on suicide prevention in the capital Kabul, AIHRC Commissioner Qudri Yazdan also said that while suicides continue to be on the rise in the country, several cases go unreported. Fida Mohammad Paikan, deputy minister of health for therapeutic services, said that a previous official survey held in Kabul, and Herat and Logar provinces indicated that more than 2,000 individuals, mainly teenaged girls, had tried to immolate themselves. “Families avoid reporting cases of female suicide due to fear that it would tarnish their ‘honor’. The statistics we have documented are from cases reported at hospitals and at our commission,” Paikan added. According to the World Health Organisation estimates, more than 800,000 people die by suicide and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt around the world.