“Self-burning is the only way to show how painful women's lives are”. An qualitative study of the social context of suicidal self-burning among Iraqi Kurdish women

This study aimed to understand suicidal self-burning among Iraqi Kurdish women in Iraq by exploring survivors’ motivations, cultural and social influences, community attitudes, and the structural conditions that sustain this phenomenon. A study was conducted in the Kurdistan region of Iraq between November 2024 and February 2025. Thirteen interviews were conducted with female suicidal self-burning survivors, and six focus groups were held with 36 family and community informants (i.e., religious leaders, community police, healthcare professionals, community members, and civil society representatives). These data were analysed thematically. Six interconnected themes were identified. (1) Context, meanings, and reasons for Iraqi Kurdish women’s suicidal self-burning: Suicidal self-burning most often occurred in private areas of the home. Survivors described the act as a cry for help and a means of communicating unbearable psychological pain, frequently arising from abuse within the family and community, including forced marriage. (2) Why Iraqi Kurdish women choose self-burning over other suicide methods: Survivors cited accessibility, cultural familiarity, and the symbolic power of fire as key reasons for selecting self-burning over other suicide methods. (3) Historical, cultural, religious, and social roots of Iraqi Kurdish women’s suicidal self-burning: Most informants said that religion, cultural traditions, generational narratives, and media coverage normalize female suicidal self-burning. (4) Community and family responses to Iraqi Kurdish women’s suicidal self-burning: Survivors and their families encountered mixed reactions, including emotional support, stigma, social exclusion, and religious condemnation. (5) Violations of human rights as social determinants of Iraqi Kurdish women’s suicidal self-burning: Survivors and informants identified violations of women’s human rights, particularly systemic inequalities at the disadvantage of women and male violence against women, as drivers of female suicidal self-burning. (6) Access to support and the prevention of Iraqi Kurdish women’s suicidal self-burning: Survivors reported substantial barriers to accessing mental health and social services while informants emphasised that prevention requires comprehensive educational, legal, and economic reforms and psychosocial interventions. Suicidal self-burning by Iraqi Kurdish women is an act of despair and a culturally shaped protest against structural injustices. The prevention of female suicidal self-burning requires multilayered strategies based on a human rights approach, including systemic (e.g. cultural, legal, policy) changes to eliminate female-male inequalities. It also requires improving women’s access to mental health services.