HERAT CITY (SW): As many as 520 individuals have attempted to take their own lives in the western Herat province in the first six months this year.
Officials at the public hospital in Herat have said that 80% of those who have attempted to commit suicide are women.
Muhammad Rafiq Sherzai, the spokesperson for Herat public hospital, has confirmed that 18 lives were lost due to these unfortunate incidents, which includied 12 females. Sherzai said that hanging from an anchor-point or ligature point with a noose around the neck, taking toxic drugs and consuming acid are the most common means used in most suicide cases.
Experts on social affairs believe that violence, forced marriages, poverty, unemployment and negative impact of violent movies are the reason behind the high rate of suicides.
Basir Ahmad Danishyar, a university lecturer, believed that violent movies and drama serials are particularly influencing the youth.
Earlier, on the World Suicide Prevention Day, the Ministry of Public Health reported that as many as 1205 cases of suicide were registered in the year 2012. But attempted suicides have reached to 10000, a number that is 8 times bigger than the previous years.
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