2 weeks ago
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By Sola Ogundipe
Suicide is connected the beforehand burner arsenic an array of enlightened speakers and panelists stitchery to deliberate connected captious issues astir intelligence health, successful continuation of the nationalist enlightenment and acquisition connected intelligence wellness successful Nigeria, arsenic Vanguard hosts the 3rd variation of its Mental Health Summit Series.
This year’s Summit volition face Nigeria’s escalating termination situation and the often-overlooked intersection with substance abuse. Suicide is present the 2nd starring origin of decease among Nigerian younker aged 15 to 29 adjacent arsenic 450,000 Nigerians request intelligence wellness and psychosocial enactment each twelvemonth owed to suicide-related trauma.
The Summit, themed “Taming the tide of termination successful Nigeria”, with sub-theme: “Substance and Silence: Unmasking the Dual Crisis of Addiction and Suicide” is designed to rekindle the consciousness connected intelligence health, tackle the challenges surrounding the absorption of the assorted intelligence disorders, and mitigate their effects connected the community.
As the forum opens astatine the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, it is expected, erstwhile again, to bring unneurotic policymakers, intelligence wellness professionals, survivors, media leaders, and younker advocates to thrust urgent conversations astir decriminalisation, stigma reduction, and community-based care.
As the speech continues, anticipation for a humane ineligible strategy for termination prevention is apical connected the expected outcomes. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Bank data, an estimated 11,000 Nigerians died by termination successful 2021, portion implicit 200,000 others attempted it and survived.
With Nigeria’s 2021 colonisation placed astatine astir 218.5 million, the WHO’s reported termination complaint of 4.9 to 5 deaths per 100,000 radical translates to astir 10,900 to 11,000 deaths that year.
For each termination death, experts estimation determination are astatine slightest 20 non-fatal attempts, suggesting that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians whitethorn beryllium struggling silently with suicidal thoughts and behaviour.
While the figures spot Nigeria beneath the planetary mean termination complaint of 8.9 per 100,000, intelligence wellness specialists pass that under-reporting, stigma, and mediocre information systems mean the existent load whitethorn beryllium higher, adjacent arsenic galore deaths spell unrecorded oregon are misclassified arsenic accidents owed to taste and spiritual sensitivities, oregon fearfulness of apprehension nether Nigeria’s Criminal Code, which criminalises attempted suicide.
Experts accidental the outdated instrumentality discourages radical successful distress from seeking assistance and fuels the civilization of soundlessness astir intelligence illness. They are calling for urgent betterment to dainty termination arsenic a nationalist wellness interest alternatively than a transgression offence, successful enactment with WHO recommendations and planetary intelligence wellness standards.
The Chairman, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) representing Cross River South Senatorial District astatine the National Assembly, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who is the Special Guest of Honour astatine the Summit, volition springiness remarks astir the Suicide Decriminalisation Bill presently earlier the National Assembly.
The Bill which has passed the 2nd speechmaking connected the level of the National Assembly, is simply a landmark legislative effort aimed astatine shifting the country’s attack to termination from punishment to prevention and care.
It is seeking to repeal colonial-era laws that criminalise attempted termination nether Sections 327 and 231 of Nigeria’s Criminal and Penal Codes, which presently enforce up to 1 twelvemonth jailhouse word for survivors of termination attempts. Rather, the measure proposes a health-centered, rights-based model that treats termination arsenic a nationalist wellness issue, not a crime.
The Summit is acceptable to deepen the nationalist speech connected intelligence wellness request urgent attraction astir the country’s outdated transgression instrumentality connected attempted termination arsenic mental-health experts, ineligible scholars and advocacy groups unite successful verdict that the instrumentality successful termination nary longer belongs successful a modern, compassionate society. The statement is that by threatening punishment, the existing instrumentality drives susceptible radical and their families underground.
According to the WHO, nations which presumption termination done a public-health lens, no...
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