Self-Immolation Results in Death of Mother of Two Students Due to Inability to Provide School Supplies
On Wednesday evening, the 31st of Shahrivar, the wife of a Dehdasht Municipality worker set herself on fire in her home and died at the hospital due to the severity of her injuries. According to her husband, who himself has not received a salary for 5 months, the reason for his wife’s action was financial hardship and inability to afford his children’s educational expenses.
According to a report by Hrana news agency, citing ISNA, on Wednesday evening, the 31st of Shahrivar 1400, the wife of a Dehdasht Municipality worker set herself on fire due to financial difficulties.
Based on this report, Mohammad Javad Erfani, a worker at Dehdasht Municipality, explained that he was unable to provide the cost of purchasing school supplies for his child, which led to a verbal altercation with his wife. During this argument, the worker’s wife set herself on fire, and in trying to extinguish her, he himself suffers 30 percent burns, and both are ultimately taken to the hospital.
Dehdasht Municipality worker, 39 years old, who according to him has 15 years of contractual work experience in the Dehdasht Municipality transportation department with a monthly salary of 5 million and 800 thousand tomans, said: I have not received a salary in the past 5 months, and if I was even one day late coming to work, I would be marked absent.
Reminding that a few days before my wife’s self-immolation incident, we gathered in front of the municipality to protest non-payment of salaries and our demands, but no one came to our aid, he continued: I have two sons and one daughter. My oldest son is in first year of middle school and the other is in first year of elementary school, and my daughter is three years old. In these circumstances, who is responsible for the broken hearts of my children.
This Dehdasht Municipality worker emphasized: I do not have a residential home and was living alone in an administrative office with two rooms in poor condition, and summer brought snakes and scorpions and winter brought cold to make life bitter for us.
Erfani, describing the night of his wife’s self-immolation, stated: Considering that we were on the eve of Mehr month and school reopenings, I had no money to provide school supplies and materials for my children, and my wife, upset about this matter, set herself on fire and destroyed my life and home, and now problems and deprivation on one hand from the destruction of life and losing the children’s mother on the other hand have collapsed my life.
He continued: My wife said; when have we seen someone work in an office but not receive a salary and not even be able to buy school materials and pen and notebook for their children; so she went to the yard and poured the kerosene that was there on herself and set herself on fire. I tried with one of my children to extinguish her but suffered burns on both hands, abdomen, neck and face, and my wife had 80 percent burns, so my wife was transferred to Ahvaz Hospital and I was transferred to Yasuj Hospital, but of course my wife died due to the severity of burns.
This Dehdasht Municipality worker stated: These problems and my wife’s self-immolation occurred due to poverty, deprivation and lack of money. On the first day of Mehr, everyone takes their child’s hand and goes happily to school, but we were left behind in providing pen and notebook for my children, and due to the pressure of this matter my wife set herself on fire.
Erfani emphasized: Some of my colleagues, due to non-payment of salaries and deprivation, pledge their ration cards to the bakery so they can take borrowed bread and bring it home.
He stated: In Dehdasht Municipality there are other people in such conditions; the authorities should prevent such bitter incidents by paying salaries and addressing the problems of municipality employees and workers before another incident occurs, and should understand the municipality workers.
The Mayor of Dehdasht, the center of Kohgiluyeh County, regarding the salaries of municipality workers and employees, claimed: Workers and employees of Dehdasht Municipality have not received salaries for about 4 months and one month of their salary will be paid this week on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Regarding the cause of this problem, he added: The indecision of the Dehdasht City Council and the lack of commission meetings, etc. have been among the most important reasons for this issue, and the city council problems continue.
Tabesh Nezhad stated: About 200 workers and employees of the Dehdasht Municipality complex are facing this same problem and situation.
Source: Hrana
