Female suicide and attempted suicide in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq : a study of social factors

• Main Author: Rasool, Izaddin Abdulsamad
• Published: Bangor University 2013
• Subjects: 300
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.665568

Female suicide is considered to be a serious problem in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This research explores the topic 'Female suicide and attempted suicide in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: A study of social factors'. In recent times, female suicide in Kurdish society has become one of the most pressing social issues. According to Rasool (2004), the female suicide rate is more than four times higher than that of males in the KRI. Indeed, according to Othman (2010), in Sulaimani City the female suicide rate is nearly nine times higher than that of males. Therefore, the study has focused on females who attempted and committed suicide in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The aim of this study is to identify common contributory factors to female attempted and committed suicide since 1991 in the KRI. This research is based on three types of data collection: questionnaire, expert interview and media sources. Research questionnaires were administered to a sample of 100 females who had attempted suicide in three cities: Erbil (Hawler), Dohuk, and Sulaimani. The questionnaires were either self-administered or face-to-face interview. Additional qualitative information was collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with four different groups: journalists, the Directorate for Monitoring Violence against Women (DMVAW) coroners, and clerics. The data from the interviews is presented and analysed in relation to the themes and questions which emerged in the questionnaire findings. The main data collected on the phenomenon of female attempted and committed suicide in the KRI came from three cities, Erbil (Hawler), Dohuk, and Sulaimani, between June and September 2010. In addition, 322 female suicide reports were collected from eight local Kurdish newspapers in the KRI. The findings indicate that self-burning is the most common suicide method for young females aged 14-30, with the youngest at 14 years old, and the oldest at 35. Social factors such as traditional marriage, forced marriage, marital and family conflict, and conflict with in-laws, domestic violence, love affairs, social isolation, gender discrimination, women’s freedom, continuing education, taking revenge, culture and traditions, are the main drivers for female suicide attempters and committers in the KRI. The findings and conclusions of the study are different from the results of western studies of suicide whose patterns are not applicable to Kurdish society. The study calls on the Kurdistan Regional Government to intervene not only to remedy the situation but also to make legal provisions to mitigate or try to eliminate the phenomenon altogether.