In Kobani, what drives women to suicide?
Shireen Tammo – ASO Network
The 21-year-old young woman, Aya Muhammad (a pseudonym), committed suicide by hanging in her home last March, due to her repeated exposure to violence by her husband and his family, which led her to a bad psychological state that pushed her to end her life by “suicide” leaving behind her only child.
Aya’s relatives stated that she decided more than once to separate from the husband and ask for a divorce, but she was retreating, fearing that her brothers would enter into a quarrel with her husband’s family, especially since they are cousins on one side, and the difficulty of abandoning her infant daughter on the other hand.
Most of the disputes are usually due to the obligation of girls to marry according to societal values, and the girl who suffers from harsh conditions in her family life cannot take her rights, as a result of the tribal society.
Aya committed suicide hours after her last problem with her husband. During her conversation with her sister, she told her that she could no longer bear, and that the oppression and insults she was exposed to exceeded her patience.
Also, domestic violence, violations of women’s rights and marital disputes are reasons behind the suicide and killing of women in Kobani, as such incidents have been repeated during the past months, and during the current year two cases of suicide among women and three cases of suspected murder, two cases of intentional murder, in addition to three cases were recorded in the city of Kobani. Ten suicide attempts, according to the Follow-up and Evaluation Committee of the Women’s Commission in the Euphrates Region.
Aya was not the first victim, nor will she be the last, of domestic violence. Rather, suicides are increasing and constantly increasing, and most of them are caused by the surrounding circumstances.
The young woman, “Sally Othman” (18 years), also committed suicide by hanging in the western countryside of Kobani on August 17th, against the background of a family dispute between the girl and her brother over details that sources close to the family described as “simple and related to the violation of the girl’s personal property.”
Suicide incidents among women and girls are repeated, an order prompted the Women’s Authority in the Euphrates region to assign an emergency number, so that the battered women, or any witness to the phenomenon of violence, can report the case, so the situation is addressed before it is too late.
In this regard, the Women’s Authority will begin establishing a Center for Psychological Support and Social Counseling, by training specialized cadres, in order to carry out awareness campaigns among the community targeting males and females.
According to the sources of the Aso News Network, the center will start holding community dialogue sessions in the city’s neighborhoods, in order to identify the causes and motives of suicide, and study people’s thinking by filling out a questionnaire that includes questions about the phenomenon of suicide that leaves many questions for the people in the city, and each explains the phenomenon according to See it.
Marwan Barkal, a construction contractor from the city of Kobani, expresses his concern about the increase in suicides in the city, considering that they leave bad psychological effects on the younger generation, so the family feels lifelong remorse, and it poses a serious threat to the structure of society in general.
Karkel admits that as a man, he cannot be freed from his domineering masculine mentality, and liberation from this mentality needs decades “as he describes it.”
Meanwhile, Amira Abbas, a resident of Koban, expresses her fear that her five daughters may contemplate suicide, especially since she cannot meet all their needs after the death of their father.
The absence of the law that holds the perpetrators accountable is the main reason for the increase in suicides, because most investigations close their files with the words “judiciary and destiny”, says the human rights defender, “Rocard Shadu” and confirms that the activation of the law on accountability for the victims will mitigate this phenomenon, as most of the victims do not have the options available to continue in Life from their point of view, which drives them to suicide, noting that images and stereotypes about the roles of women and men and lack of financial independence, and society’s tolerance and tolerance towards perpetrators of violence and their impunity help spread this phenomenon.
According to the Information Office of the Internal Security Forces in the Euphrates region, there are no detainees pending investigation for the two suicides, while cases of suspected murder are still being investigated.
The psychological counselor “Jalal Al-Saleh” returns the reasons that lead to suicide, especially among women, to anxiety, tension and depression resulting from the war conditions that the city went through and the daily threats that exist on them, describing the family ties as “fragile” after their suffering with the circumstances of war, and calls for the consolidation of the relationship Love and harmony among members of the same family, especially in dealing with adolescent girls, taking into consideration their personality and not marginalizing them.
(Al-Saleh) explains that there are attempts by these adolescent girls to commit suicide, only to draw attention and impose a kind of their personality on the family. As for married women, they suffer from domestic violence and family pressures, which are mostly due to economic reasons, and not to secure the requirements of marital life.
He adds that there are social reasons such as early marriage, in the midst of the social conflict left by the war, families rush to marry their daughters at early ages, so the marital relationship lacks parity in cultural or social awareness, and also forced marriage is considered a factor of suicide for reasons that may be economic or social, as he put it.
Al-Saleh warns that the suicide bomber exhibits signs such as lack of sleep, eating, depression, and constantly talking about suicide, “these people must be helped.” It is recommended to treat the phenomenon of suicide from home by filling the emotional void between parents and children, listening to their opinions, creating a safe environment, and institutions. Women concerned with allocating committees of social reformers within these institutions, educating society, psychological and social rehabilitation, and dealing with society as a consensual body that works to solve problems that are not complicated by their bias towards women.
At the end of his speech, he referred to the role of the media in shedding light on the positive aspects in the lives of young men and women and creating an atmosphere that helps unload and develop their talents.