Severe burn admissions account for over 400 annual admissions to the Burns Unit in National Hospital Sri Lanka (NHSL) which is the only specialised Burns Unit in the island. The majority of burn victims in Sri Lanka, approximately 85%, are women. Of these women only a few are accidental burns. Most of the victims are between 15-30years. A large proportion of burn admissions in female adults is due to flame burns and over 70 % of these are due to self immolations. The commonest accelerant is...
more »Severe burn admissions account for over 400 annual admissions to the Burns Unit in National Hospital Sri Lanka (NHSL) which is the only specialised Burns Unit in the island. The majority of burn victims in Sri Lanka, approximately 85%, are women. Of these women only a few are accidental burns. Most of the victims are between 15-30years. A large proportion of burn admissions in female adults is due to flame burns and over 70 % of these are due to self immolations. The commonest accelerant is Kerosene but thinner petrol and even alcohol has been used by some. A phenomenal percentage of women victims, medical specialists believe, have been subject to domestic violence and abuse. Suicide, in most cases, comes as a way of getting out of abuse. Homicidal burns form a lesser proportion and in those acid is the commonest accelerant. Suicidal or homicidal burns are directly linked to emotional upheavals played out in male dominated socio-economically handicapped house holds. Almost all homicidal burns are perpetrated by men. Social suppression, domestic violence, physical and emotional abuse, sexual abuse, all echo behind these women. Victims, however, are hesitant to reveal the truth due to socio-legal reasons. Helping the survivors to win back their lives is a herculean task. It is not only a medical challenge. Women, in most cases, have to go back to the same environment where they were subjected to abuse or sometimes are forced to live with the very perpetrator. The impact of social rejection inflicted upon them too is enormous. They would suffer in silence for many years - sometimes for the entirety of their life.
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