Life is a precious gift; however, there are many people who believe that life is a burden. The sort of pessimism in human psychology that starts abhorring the beauty of life may be generated because of many reasons. Mostly, it is because of different sorts of problems and burdens that make the people think that their lives are not worth-living. People, in the course of their social lives face many difficulties; some people have the courage to face them with will and determination and there are many others who do not have such an approach and lay down their weapons in front of those difficulties. They are the ones who even attempt to end their, which they see as the only panacea.

Mostly the people who live in a society with many social and political upheavals make suicide attempts as they are the ones with many financial, domestic and psychological problems. While, among them the weaker people with lower social status and feeble economic position are the most vulnerable ones. They are the ones who feel the shocks of the instability to a greater extent and most of them while dealing with them stop seeing any ray of hope and put a full stop to their own lives.

Women are also of the same strata; they have to face difficulties and discrimination and do not get enough protection and support from the social setup. Afghan society is also one of the societies that have been facing wars and disturbances and there have been many social and economic problems. Afghan women, therefore, have been facing myriads of troubles and challenges. However, it is unfortunate to note that many of them give up any struggle and put an end to their own lives. Different incidents of suicides by women in different parts of country are the witness to this fact.

According to a study revealed on Thursday, January 03, by Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), suicide attempts among women and young girls exactly doubled in central Daikundi province last year, when 30 incidents of the nature were reported. AIHRC head in Daikundi, Mohammad Jawad Dadgar, said there were 15 cases of women attempted suicide in 2011. Six of the females have died. One of the cases involved a school girl who poisoned herself after her family failed to arrange a huge dowry sought by the girl's fiancé as part of the marriage, he recalled, adding the girl has recovered in hospital.

"Violence against women has many reasons including the lack of access to justice, shelter houses, poverty, addiction to drugs and forced marriages," he said.

A public awareness drive is being launched on Friday in cooperation with the judiciary department, religious scholars, civil society and the women affairs department in a bid to help women recognize their rights, the human rights official said. However, it would require a thorough and stable process to help women face the growing challenges of lives.

It can now be easily concluded that the incidents violating women rights in Afghanistan have not been stopped though there have been many claims of developments. In fact the changes are prevalent only on the exterior while from within the Afghan society still lacks the modernity and development it needs in order to reach to a respectable position. The support and assistance of the international community has only been able to provide clean and beautiful attire not a praiseworthy soul to Afghan society and this attire is going to get dirty very soon.

The Afghan social structure has been vehemently dominated by religious extremism and tribal nepotism. Though these factors have affected almost everyone, women have been intensely influenced as they belong to the weaker strata of the society. Most of the self-designed religious doctrines and tribal norms are against the women and discriminate their basic rights.

Unfortunately, these norms and doctrines have even gone to the extent of violence and have tortured women physically – mostly in the public. They, in the name of dignity of women, have in fact degraded them. The concept of so-called tribal honor and dignity has not been able to provide safety and respect to Afghan women.

It is really important that women should have their representation in different social and political institutions in the country and they should be made an important part of different processes. Though there have been improvements in this regard since the end of Taliban regime, the concerns seems to be rising recently.

It is unfortunate to note that Afghan authorities and many important personalities themselves have favored the recommendations and suggestions to limit the participation of women in social and political lives. As most of these authorities are themselves nourished in an extremist patriarchal society and do not have much consideration regarding the role and empowerment of women and consider it against their tribal values that they come out of their houses, they would never follow a movement to save women from violence and make them achieve their due place in Afghan society. In such a scenario, it is very difficult to expect that Taliban would respect the rights of women.

It is really important that government must not support the discriminatory ideas against the women. Afghan society is a society that has been dominated by male chauvinism and its history has been filled with various incidents of ruthless violence against women. There are different sorts of such incidents every now and then in different parts of country even in today's Afghanistan. Government can prove to be a hope for the women.

If it itself encourages the intentions that may undermine the rights of women, it would be very difficult to expect the same from common people. Moreover, the international community in this regard can also play an important role.

Though it has mentioned on almost all the important occasions that human rights, especially women rights, have to be given top priority by the Afghan government if it wills to have the support of major countries, it has not been able to make Afghan government pursue a really practical and comprehensive strategy regarding the issue, which is the only solution for preserving the women rights and dignity to a certain extent in Afghan society.