Tajikistan recorded 364 cases of suicide and attempted suicide in 2025, up 48 cases compared to 2024, when 316 incidents were reported. The figures were presented on February 5 at a news conference held by the Committee on Women and Family Affairs.
Of the total number, 254 cases involved completed suicides, compared to 217 the previous year, while 110 cases were suicide attempts, up from 99 in 2024.
According to the Committee, 261 of these cases involved women and underage girls, including 49 minors. This represents an increase of 15 cases compared to 2024.
Officials said the statistics point to the continued severity of the problem of violence and suicide among women and underscore the need for a systematic response from both society and government institutions.
The main contributing factors include domestic violence by husbands or relatives, psychological and emotional distress such as depression and hopelessness, conflicts with family members or partners, including forced marriage and restrictions on personal freedom, as well as limited access to psychological support and social services for women.
The Committee called for stronger preventive efforts, improved access to mental health support, and enhanced protection of women’s rights.
Suicide as an act of desperation?
Experts note a disturbing trend in which young mothers with multiple children take their own lives, sometimes together with their children. While such cases are often attributed to mental instability, specialists argue they are more accurately understood as extreme expressions of despair and protest against harsh living conditions.
Experts stress that not only the number of such tragedies but also their increasingly public and demonstrative nature should serve as a serious warning signal for the state and society.
One high-profile case occurred in the Farkhor district of Khatlon province in the summer of 2025. On the night of June 29–30, Madina Halimova jumped into a river with her four children. She survived, but all the children died, and the body of one child, a five-year-old boy, was never recovered.
Investigators concluded that the act was driven by severe emotional distress and a mental disorder. Halimova reportedly suspected her husband of planning to take a second wife, though these fears were not confirmed. A medical assessment found a mental disorder aggravated by stress, with no evidence of hereditary mental illness.
On October 10, 2025, the Khatlon Regional Court found Madina Halimova guilty under Article 104 of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code (murder) and sentenced her to 20 years in prison. Investigators found no evidence of the husband’s involvement.
