Prosecuting suicide survivors is unfortunate
Sep 20, 2009
ON September 10, Uganda joined the rest of world to mark the World Suicide Prevention Day. The World Health Organisation estimates that everyday, 3,000 people commit suicide around the world, bringing the figure to about a million lives lost annually.
ON September 10, Uganda joined the rest of world to mark the World Suicide Prevention Day. The World Health Organisation estimates that everyday, 3,000 people commit suicide around the world, bringing the figure to about a million lives lost annually.
Although data on suicide is not readily available in Uganda, anecdotal evidence indicates that the problem is on the rise. A Ministry of Health survey conducted across 14 districts among 4,660 adults a few years ago, showed that 15% of respondents, or one in six, had tried to commit suicide.
Reports from the Police indicate that hanging, injection of pesticides and other chemicals, medicinal drug overdose, jumping off tall buildings and waterfalls are the most common cases of suicide.
The rising number of suicide cases can, in part, be ascribed to low levels of awareness about the problem, drug abuse, lack of treatment and psycho-social support to suicide victims. Suicide cases can also be ascribed to unemployment and rural urban migration.
Today, the economy has become more cash-based and with rising economic hardships, psycho-social distress is mounting on those who cannot raise enough money to earn a decent living.
Strategies to combat suicide cases call for concerted and collective efforts by everybody to raise awareness about this public health problem. The starting point for suicide prevention lies in strengthening mental healthcare services and establishment of psychosocial support centres to provide post-suicide counselling services.
Whereas the law is stern on suicide victims, it is important to emphasise that suicide survivors need to be treated with empathy as patients and not criminals. As a result of criminalising suicide, most survivors have been forced into hiding. According to the penal code, anyone who attempts suicide is guilty of a crime and risks facing a jail sentence. Attempting suicide is a sign of distress and strategies to reduce suicide cases should focus on minimising the causes of stress. The Government should deal with the issues of poverty and unemployment.
With most suicide cases being reported among the youth, schoolbased interventions involving crisis management and self-esteem development, need to be strengthened.
The writer is the business development and research officer at Equity Bank
Although data on suicide is not readily available in Uganda, anecdotal evidence indicates that the problem is on the rise. A Ministry of Health survey conducted across 14 districts among 4,660 adults a few years ago, showed that 15% of respondents, or one in six, had tried to commit suicide.
Reports from the Police indicate that hanging, injection of pesticides and other chemicals, medicinal drug overdose, jumping off tall buildings and waterfalls are the most common cases of suicide.
The rising number of suicide cases can, in part, be ascribed to low levels of awareness about the problem, drug abuse, lack of treatment and psycho-social support to suicide victims. Suicide cases can also be ascribed to unemployment and rural urban migration.
Today, the economy has become more cash-based and with rising economic hardships, psycho-social distress is mounting on those who cannot raise enough money to earn a decent living.
Strategies to combat suicide cases call for concerted and collective efforts by everybody to raise awareness about this public health problem. The starting point for suicide prevention lies in strengthening mental healthcare services and establishment of psychosocial support centres to provide post-suicide counselling services.
Whereas the law is stern on suicide victims, it is important to emphasise that suicide survivors need to be treated with empathy as patients and not criminals. As a result of criminalising suicide, most survivors have been forced into hiding. According to the penal code, anyone who attempts suicide is guilty of a crime and risks facing a jail sentence. Attempting suicide is a sign of distress and strategies to reduce suicide cases should focus on minimising the causes of stress. The Government should deal with the issues of poverty and unemployment.
With most suicide cases being reported among the youth, schoolbased interventions involving crisis management and self-esteem development, need to be strengthened.
The writer is the business development and research officer at Equity Bank