‘I wish I hadn’t survived’: Why women are burning themselves in Iraqi Kurdistan

Women in Iraq are facing rising levels of domestic abuse. Cases of gender-based violence have seen a surge of 125% between 2020 and 2021, according to the United Nations.

In the Kurdistan region, women who feel trapped in abusive households often see suicide by self-immolation as their only way out.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has tried to combat violence against women, but many remain at risk.

The BBC has been granted rare access to one of the main hospitals for burns in Iraqi Kurdistan, where many women die of self-inflicted burns.

Produced by Lina Shaikhouni and Valentina Sinis,

Edited by Wael al-Saadi

Filmed by Ayar Mohammed Rasool

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