By By Katherine Yaremko, Columnist

The battle over Afghanistan that has been waging for years has gradually gained less and less attention from the media; but even when it has, the focus has primarily been directed at troop presence on the ground or the strength or weakness of the Taliban. Yet other fundamental issues are playing out within that region, issues that rarely are addressed by news outlets.

One such issue involves the fates of women and girls, who through a desire to escape abusive homes, commonly resort to setting themselves on fire. Many of these girls are forced into arranged marriages by their families and often subject to beatings and other forms of abuse by their husbands or relatives. Horrifically, some see their only means for peace through oil and matches.

Fleeing their situations is not always an option. Bibi Aisha, a young woman recently featured in the National Geographic article “Veiled Rebellion,” was left without her ears and nose after her husband caught her attempting to run away. In fact, according to the same article, eighty percent of abuse directed at Afghan women is caused by their family members.

With a statistic so staggering, the obvious question is to ask how such tragedies can be prevented. There are certainly organizations and a hospital designed to treat self-immolation in Afghanistan, although the culture of the region continues to fuel these cruelties.

U.S. policy in terms of Afghanistan has not appeared to address this issue. It is clear however, that if true stability in that country is to arrive, it cannot do so if a significant portion of its population continues to be so severely mistreated.

The question of how to accomplish such a task will require much planning and cooperation. Considering the number of individuals who have already died and the amount of time and money spent to further our aims within the country, it is imperative that our policymakers not ignore the discrepancies and intolerances happening within it.

The solution will most likely need to involve more than simply providing medical supplies and support; preventive measures would be the best way of dealing with the situation. How to do this while gaining the support of the majority of Afghans is no simple task; however, it is one that needs to be addressed. Those abusive individuals who have been submerged in particular beliefs all their lives may not be persuaded to give up their ideology. Education may prove to be one of the most important tools for increasing the equality for Afghanistan’s citizens, especially for the country’s children.