Self-immolation, or death by setting fire on oneself, is a cause of growing concern in the world. Many set fire on themselves to die in many countries. But it does not frequently happen across countries. It is more in developing and less developed countries than in developed countries. The number of deaths from self-immolation is high in Iran, Iraq, China and several other developing and less developed countries. According to available sources, more than ten thousand died of self-immolation in Iraq in the last several decades. The number of deaths from self-immolation in other countries is also notable. Both men and women die of self-immolation but it is more among young men and women. It has recently increased globally.
It is notable that self-immolation is caused by a range of social, economic, political and other factors. But its causes differ across countries. Also, the causes of self-burning have notable dissimilarities with those of other forms of suicidal attempts, though there are some similarities. Gender based violence, discrimination, spousal conflict, family conflict, inability to adjust or cope with life stressors or mental disorders, economic factors, problems with friends and school or university failure are responsible for self-burning to death. Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old Tunisian man, doused himself in fuel and lit himself on fire as a protest to financial problems and unemployment in 2010. Also, problems at work, personal history of suicide attempts and family history of suicide attempts are some other important causes of self-burning to death.
Self-immolation is rendered the ultimate act of both despair and defiance, which is arguably rendered a symbol of heroic act. Though many die of self-burning to death because of despair, it is a severe form of social, political and religious protests in many countries. Many individuals had set fire on themselves as a form of non-violent protest or in acts of martyrdom in the world. For instance, many Tibetans had set themselves aflame to protest Chinese rule. Graham Bamford set himself on fire outside the Parliament in 1993 over Britain’s failure to halt atrocities in the Balkans. Also, Quang Duc’s self-immolation, which is rendered as the first globalized self-immolation, was done in 1963 to protest the alleged persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government.
Notably, all self-burning attempts do not lead to deaths. But the consequences are dangerous for survivors and their families, even if self-burning does not terminate their lives. Self-burning leads to physical, psychological and social impacts. It leads to minor to serious physical injuries. Some survivors may also suffer lifelong. Many survivors feel regretful and socially isolated. Moreover, self-immolation does not lead to the desired social, economic or political change on most occasions. It did not change the situation of gender-based violence, reduce oppressive rules and eradicate social ills. Rather, self-immolation is mostly a failed form of protest, though it sometimes helps to escape subordination and leads to wider protests as was the case for Mohamed Bouazizi’s death that fuelled the Tunisian Arab Spring.
Self immolation is not desirable at all, no matter whether it is done because of despair or defiance. Thus, emphasis needs to be given to the ending of self-immolation in the world. To end self-burning to death, measures need to be made more effective and country-specific based on the causes of it. But preventive efforts need to be given emphasis and awareness building measures that may help to reduce self-immolation need to be strengthened especially in those countries where it is more frequent. Moreover, counseling services are important especially for those who are traumatized by gender based violence or any other causes. But the underlying social, economic, political and other causes of self-immolation need to be addressed.
