African governments tasked on suicide prevention strategies

…As 720,000 persons instrumentality ain lives yearly globally

By Sola Ogundipe

On this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day, African governments person been tasked to accommodate termination prevention strategies, decriminalize termination and put successful intelligence wellness care, adjacent arsenic civilian nine and communities are to recognise termination arsenic a nationalist wellness and quality rights issue, and not a transgression oregon a taboo.

The telephone by the Africa Suicide Prevention Association (ASPA) came arsenic the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that an estimated 720,000 radical dice by termination each twelvemonth astir the world, with Africa carrying the highest termination rates successful the satellite astatine 11.2 per 100,000 people, and with young radical astir affected. 

In a statement, ASPA noted that this year’s theme, “Changing the Narrative”, calls to alteration however the satellite speaks, thinks, and acts astir termination from stigma to understanding, from punishment to attraction and from soundlessness to hope.

“At ASPA, we are starring a continental question to advocator for the decriminalization of termination successful each African countries, beforehand ethical reporting to guarantee liable media sum and to fortify subsister advocacy and amplify lived experiences, portion investing successful youth-focused prevention efforts crossed the continent.

“Every African deserves entree to intelligence wellness care, compassion successful crisis, and the anticipation of a brighter tomorrow. Together, we tin alteration the narrative,” the assemblage stated.

Despite advances, experts accidental thousands of termination cases spell unreported owed to stigma and taste barriers. Mental wellness professionals stressed that talking openly astir distress is cardinal to prevention.

According to WHO, young people, who marque up astir 70 percent of the African continent’s population, are astir affected by suicide, and t for each palmy suicide, determination are apt 20 different radical making a termination effort and galore much person superior thoughts of termination adjacent arsenic millions of radical endure aggravated grief oregon are different profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviours.

Further, WHO says termination is the 3rd starring origin of decease among 15–29-year-olds, with 73 per cent of planetary suicides occuring successful low- and middle-income countries.

“Each suicidal decease is simply a nationalist wellness interest with a profound interaction connected those astir them and by raising awareness, reducing the stigma astir suicide, and encouraging well-informed action, instances of termination tin beryllium reduced astir the world.

“Creating anticipation done action” is the triennial taxable for the World Suicide Prevention Day from 2021 – 2023. This taxable is simply a reminder that determination is an alternate to termination and aims to animate assurance and airy successful each of us.

“By creating anticipation done action, we tin awesome to radical experiencing suicidal thoughts that determination is anticipation and that we attraction and privation to enactment them. It besides suggests that our actions, nary substance however large oregon small, whitethorn supply anticipation to those who are struggling.”

Also successful a connection to people the day, the Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, and Honorary Global Patron of LifeLine International, Mrs Toyin Saraki, said: “I’m lasting with the WHO, the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and LifeLine International’s planetary web of situation helplines to affirm a elemental truth, suicides are preventable, anticipation is real, and assistance indispensable ever beryllium wrong reach.

“Suicide is simply a large nationalist wellness challenge, claiming much than 720,000 lives each year. It is the 3rd starring origin of decease among 15–29-year-olds, with devastating social, emotional, and economical consequences for families, workplaces, and communities worldwide.

According to Saraki, LifeLine International, with 37 Members crossed 29 countries, is moving to alteration the communicative connected termination by breaking the silence, reducing stigma, and fostering openness, empathy, and support, with the extremity that each person, everywhere, tin link with a compassionate responder successful their moments of top need.

“The triennial theme, Changing the Narrative connected Suicide, calls america to determination beyond soundlessness and harmful myths, and to thrust systemic change. It challenges governments and inst...