DUSHANBE
, March 14, Asia-Plus – Seven people who tried to commit suicide by self-immolation have been taken to the Republic Burn-Treatment Facility at City Clinical Hospital No 3 in
Dushanbe
since the beginning of the year, Alisher Umarov, head physician of the burn-treatment facility, said.
According to him, of those seven, six were young women, and three of them died in the hospital. “The number of people who attempt to burn themselves to death is decreasing in
Tajikistan
,” said Mr. Umarov, “Last year, for example, we had 63 such patients.”
Alisher Umarov has stressed that medical workers of their burn-treatment facility visit the provinces to carry out prophylactic explanatory work among the population. At the same time, the burn-treatment facility head noted that it was hard to determine precisely an exact number on persons who attempt to commit suicide by self-immolation not only because this information is “closed” but also because many families keep these incidents from others.
Local experts say the majority of women who committed suicide by self-immolation most were motivated by family and economic problems.
According to results of surveys conducted by local women’s non-government organizations, some 70 percent of women in
Tajikistan
are subject to various forms of family violence. Many NGOs in
Tajikistan
dealing with gender issues try to resolve this problem through raising legal awareness among women.
Mr. Umarov has also noted that 26 people who received wounds in domestic gas blasts have been taken to their burn-treatment facility this year so far. Two of them died, according to him. “Last year, we have 60 such patients, and six of them died during hospitalization,” Alisher Umarov said, noting that since the beginning of the year, 144 people with various burns have undergone treatment in the their facility.
