Afghan women escape marriage through suicide

[redqueen]

...

Weddings are one of the few occasions in Afghanistan when families and friends can forget their sorrows and the ongoing violence in their country and have some fun. It is traditional to dance into the early morning hours after a feast. It is also traditional for the bride to put on a sad face because she is leaving her family; she is not allowed to smile.

However, for many brides this is not an act. They really are unhappy at their weddings and not because they are leaving their families but because they are being forced into a marriage against their will.

Shafiqa has a friend who is in one such unhappy marriage. "She is called Nadia. Her family forced her to get married but she didn't want to marry the man chosen for her. She tried to kill herself but her family stopped her in time, preventing her from committing suicide."

According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, between 60 and 80 percent of all marriages in Afghanistan are forced. Moreover, in almost 50 percent of cases women are married before the age of 18; in 15 percent they are not even 16.

...

http://www.dw.de/afghan-women-escape-marriage-through-suicide/a-16750044

[whathehell]

1. Oh my God....How terribly sad.

Thanks for posting.

[BainsBane]

2. How awful

It reminds me of 19th century African women in Brazil who killed themselves to escape the brutality of slavery.

[MadrasT]

3. This is so very sad.

[seabeyond]

4. Seems like suicide is the answer to TOO many of our young girls due to male dominance

Men, do we have a problem here? Just askin'.

[ismnotwasm]

5. That's horrid

I want all this bullshit to stop.