Thursday, March 11, 2010
Afghan women burn themselves to escape abuse
12 comments
This video is a little old (I just found it on the International Women's Day website), but it is something that I would not doubt is still going on in Afghanistan. It's heartbreaking, to say the least.
Warning: this video may be triggering for some.
You can visit the sites of organizations like Women for Afghan Women and the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan to learn more about the hardships of post-Taliban life, and to find out how you can help.
Warning: this video may be triggering for some.
You can visit the sites of organizations like Women for Afghan Women and the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan to learn more about the hardships of post-Taliban life, and to find out how you can help.
Posts
March 16, 2010 at 12:40 AM
This is absolutely heartbreaking. I cannot imagine how it would feel to see self-inflicted burns as an only option. To have to go through so much torture and pain to a point where setting yourself on fire is a good way to escape... clearly it is a matter of life or death to these women. It sounded very common in Afghanistan too! I'm sure this type of thing happens in many other countries as well. How can women still be viewed as so incredibly low? Sometimes I feel like we have made leaps and bounds in the fight for women's rights but then I'm reminded of things like these and it is so incredibly discouraging.
March 16, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Watching this video was extremely terrifying that in this modern day and age there is exists such domestic violence, and abuse. There needs to be something done so that the world finally views women as people rather than objects. I'm also not sure how i feel about arranged marriages for girls as young as 7 years old, but it must also be a cultural thing.
March 17, 2010 at 1:49 PM
When I see things like this are still happening today it doesn't make sense. Women in america would never be faced with the option of life or death just by burning themselves. This just goes to show that that countries view/respect their women differently. If this happened in america it would be a huge story, since its in a 3rd world country not many people pay attention to it and its not fair to them. This video shows that people across the world have different levels of respect for women.
March 20, 2010 at 10:41 AM
I cannot even imagine being stuck in a marriage being abused with no way out. I think the first problem is forcing women to marry at age 7. I understand it is a cultural difference, but women should have the choice to say I want to marry this man or I don't. Also, there should be more of enforcement worldwide to inform and teach women their rights, so they don't have to feel burning themselves are their only option.
March 21, 2010 at 3:46 PM
This video is terrifying and disturbing to watch. I find it ridiculous that some cultures force children to marry at age 7... and with someone that the parents set up. These girls/women have no freedom of choice. And the women burning themselves, that is just incredibly saddening. In order to escape abuse, the women have to inflict pain amongst themselves? That is just wrong. These poor women deserve a safe way out.
March 22, 2010 at 5:29 PM
The major question that's been in my head while watching this was, did the men/in-laws got away with abusing? If so, then the country should really do something about this. These people are clearly abusing their so-called 'power' as husbans/in-laws. Husbands should protect their wives, not torture them. As for marrying at a young age, I guess it's a culture thing. But I personally feel that any culture that being practice now should be compatible with time. Education is vital, and it should be taken away from anyone, including women.
March 22, 2010 at 5:31 PM
This is devastating and I feel horrible for these women. I wish I could say I was surprised by this, but I'm not. Women all over the world face problems like this on a daily basis. Women deal with all kinds of abuse including things female genital mutilation and like shown in this video are forced into early marriage which in itself can cause many physical and mental problems. On the other hand we hear women in other parts of the world fighting for equal rights in things like the job market. These issues are important too, however, I think before we solve all these other problems we should fight more for women like the ones in this video whose lives are in danger.
March 22, 2010 at 9:53 PM
Heart breaking. This is unbelievable. I can't even imagine knowing someone to get married that young. There are just so many things that are wrong. Women try so hard to make their actions as important as those of men, but this video reminds us that there are many changes to be made. The abuse and neglect that these women go through for their entire lives are ridiculous. I would hope that with this day in age the domestic abuse would be on a decline, and more illegal and looked down upon in these countries. I am very thankful to live in a country where i am able to make my own decisions, I only wish these women were treated with respect as we are.
March 23, 2010 at 6:48 AM
SUICIDE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BURNING !!!!...... this is all that we here these days ... !!>.. this video made tears roll down my eyes .. Apart from sympathy, I am helpless being a common man. It's not just about this video, this has been prevailing in our society since beginning on civilization. On one hand, we boast and brag about our modern and technological revolution .... but on the other hand, this is what innocent women face in that part of the world where modern society is still left to mark its presence. Child Marriage is the root cause of this. This leads to poor family planning, poverty, dowry thus violence .. This is a vicious circle that needs to be broken.
March 25, 2010 at 1:34 AM
Though there are many disturbing facts in this video, the one that mainly caught my attention was that the hospital the women were in was solely for self-burned individuals. The fact that there are enough women that attempt suicide that they have their own hospital is terrifying. It makes me sick to hear the stories that the girls were sometimes married by seven years old. I can't imagine what being abused for that many years is like, but I can't imagine feeling the need to burn myself to get out of that either. This really opened my eyes to some of the things that are going on around the world.
April 6, 2010 at 1:21 PM
This is awful and its hard to believe that even in today's world women are treating like this and they are struggling to get rid of violence and abuse. Moreover, i don't believe girls marriage at the age 7; when they are not at their puberty stage however, many culture belief in that way but we should think about that perspective to.
April 20, 2010 at 12:28 PM
After reading this I have one question, how can someone let this happen? If women are burning themselves how can this go unnoticed by the government? In America we hold a rally and people listen to us, but in other parts of the world it is so sad and disturbing that these women need to resort to this. I am surprised this has not gained more media attention. Something needs to be done here and these women and others in their situation need to be helped and protected.