The number of women who attempt to burn themselves to death is increasing in Tajikistan, \"Asia-Plus\" reported on 19 October, citing statistics from the Prosecutor- General\'s Office. According to the prosecutor-general\'s figures, 33 self-immolations were attempted in 2002, while 90 cases were registered in the first six months of 2003. The problem is particularly serious in northern Tajikistan\'s Sughd Oblast, where 113 cases of self-immolation have been registered in 2003, against 115 cases in the previous two years. A Red Crescent Society expert was quoted as saying that almost three-quarters of the women who committed suicide by self-immolation were between the ages of 18 and 40, and most were motivated by family and economic problems. Self-immolation by Central Asian women was well publicized in the Soviet media in the late 1980s, but there were few reports of it after the Central Asian countries gained their independence. The Tajik media has increasingly drawn attention to the problem during 2003. (Asia Plus-Blitz)