Domestic violence and physical abuse at home is a global issue. But nowhere is more prevalent than in societies whose foundational values are still completely patriarchal. In these societies, women have no escape but submission, and those who can’t submit, have very little alternatives. Broken Princess is the story of women in Iraqi Kurdistan who tried to escape the violence by setting themselves on fire. And while suicide is far from being a sporadic choice for women, the question of why Iraqi Kurdistan women choose such a painful and devastating way to try and end their lives is what compelled me to investigate this phenomenon further. Fire has a historical and cultural meaning for Kurdish people: it means light, goodness, and purification. Kurdish women express their love saying: "I burn myself for you!” as the ultimate indicator of dedication and loyalty. Kurdish women appropriate this symbol and fire becomes their own purifying vehicle. Through fire, they escape from a life that traps them in an oppressive society with no economic and social independence, while they are aware of their disadvantages in comparison to other cultures — as provided by mobile phones, the internet, and social media. Yet, not all of them succeed in killing themselves. Those who survive are left with terrible physical scars and possibly harder psychological ones: they regret their choice but have a very limited social structure to lean on for recovery. With little support and little visibility, they find themselves in a place that is worst, if possible, than before.