The scenario in Afghanistan, regarding the lives of women and the difficulties they face, seems to continue unaltered and unfortunately it is very much pathetic. There are many women who give up the struggle in the face of discriminatory behavior and social problems and decide to end their lives. According to a news report on Thursday, February 21, two women committed self-immolation in western Herat and Farah provinces. A woman, evacuated to zonal hospital with 95 percent burn injuries on her body, succumbed to her wounds. Meanwhile, a 30-year-old woman burnt herself due to a family dispute in the Anar Dara district of neighboring Farah province. Her husband had been arrested and was under interrogation, Prosecutor Gul Ahmad Ramesh said, adding the victim had four children and she developed differences with her spouse after he married another woman. Officials say 53 self-immolation cases, involving 28 deaths, have been registered by the hospital since March 21, 2012.

Women throughout Afghanistan, because of discriminatory behavior and severe violence from their fellow beings, have been reacting in different ways. The most drastic of them is self-immolation. According to an earlier report by Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), the number of women trying to kill themselves by self-immolation in north Afghanistan has increased as well, this year (Persian year). AIHRC Women's Affairs officer for the north Fawzia Nawabi had told earlier that reported cases of general violence against women are rising, driven by "the powerful and the armed". At least 20 girls and women have set themselves on fire since the end of March (start of the Persian year), ostensibly for being in situations of some form of abuse, Nawabi said, adding that at least 12 rapes including child rape have been reported in the same period.

Most of the women after being the victims of severe kind of violence and discrimination find no other way of adjusting themselves in the society and keeping their lives continue; therefore, they decide to end their lives through the process of self-immolation. It can be easily observed that the incidents violating women rights in Afghanistan have not been stopped though there have been many claims of developments. In fact the changes are prevalent only on the exterior while from within the Afghan society still lacks the modernity and development it needs in order to reach to a respectable position. The support and assistance of the international community has only been able to provide clean and beautiful attire not a praiseworthy soul to Afghan society and this attire is going to get dirty very soon. The Afghan social structure has been vehemently dominated by religious extremism and tribal nepotism.

Though these factors have affected almost everyone, women have been intensely influenced as they belong to the weaker strata of the society. Most of the self-designed religious doctrines and tribal norms are against the women and discriminate their basic rights. Unfortunately, these norms and doctrines have even gone to the extent of violence and have tortured women physically – mostly in the public. They, in the name of dignity of women, have in fact degraded them. The concept of so-called tribal honor and dignity has not been able to provide safety and respect to Afghan women.

It is unfortunate to note that Afghan authorities and many important personalities themselves have favored the recommendations and suggestions to limit the participation of women in social and political lives. As most of these authorities are themselves nourished in an extremist patriarchal society and do not have much consideration regarding the role and empowerment of women and consider it against their tribal values that they come out of their houses, they would never follow a movement to save women from violence and make them achieve their due place in Afghan society. 
This fact was also revealed by the Nawabi, "The perpetrators of these disasters are the powerful and the armed."

Afghanistan Women Minister, Husn Bano Ghazanfar said the reports are worrying and that efforts are underway to address it. "According to the law, the offenders are guilty so no one has the right to excuse them, neither the government nor anyone else. The offenders will surrender or face the law," she said. However, another report by AIHRC revealed that more than 3,000 cases of violence were registered to AIHRC in the first six months of the current Persian year.

The commission said that the massive number of cases is related to a greater awareness about what the rights of women were leading to more reporting of situations that go against this.

"The Human Rights Commission has held human rights training with people via meetings, seminars and awareness programs in many provinces, with the purpose to make people familiar of their rights, chiefly women," AIHRC Women's Rights Program Coordinator Latifa Sultani said. "The programs are also held in some police bodies and schools," she added.

Though there has been increase in the registered cases, the number of unregistered cases is still very large and at the same time there are no strong guarantee that the ones who have registered their cases they would see elimination of violence against themselves. To eliminate violence against women, comprehensive efforts are required and there have to be changes in Afghan socio-political scenario.

However, it is strange to note that in an Islamic society there is such a large scale discrimination against women as Islam itself tries to give women their due rights.

It is really important that government must not support the discriminatory ideas against the women. Afghan society is a society that has been dominated by male chauvinism and its history has been filled with various incidents of ruthless violence against women. There are different sorts of such incidents every now and then in different parts of country even in today's Afghanistan. Government can prove to be a hope for the women. If it itself encourages the intentions that may undermine the rights of women, it would be very difficult to expect the same from common people.

Moreover, the international community in this regard can also play an important role. Though it has mentioned on almost all the important occasions that human rights, especially women rights, have to be given top priority by the Afghan government if it wills to have the support of major countries, it has not been able to make Afghan government pursue a really practical and comprehensive strategy regarding the issue, which is the only solution for preserving the women rights and dignity to a certain extent in Afghan society.