Four countries have decriminalised suicide in the last year, a measure that campaigners say improves both mental health awareness and access to support in times of acute crisis.
The news coincides with World Suicide Prevention Day on Sunday.
Although suicide has been decriminalised since the 1960s in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and has never been illegal in Scotland – some 17 countries persist with laws labelling it as a criminal offence.
Campaign group United for Global Mental Health reports that criminalisation “deters people from seeking help, further stigmatises mental ill health, and hampers efforts to prevent, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions”.
There’s still a way to go, but things are changing for the better.
Guyana, Ghana and Pakistan have decriminalised suicide since November last year and Malaysia passed similar laws this June. It means that instead of a police custody suite and a possible jail sentence, suicide survivors get help when they need it the most.
“This recent spell of countries pushing forward on legislation that decriminalises suicide and suicidal behaviour has been hugely encouraging and we are hopeful that this momentum continues,” said Katherine Thomson, who heads up decriminalisation advocacy work at the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Image: George Pagan III
Main image: SolStock/iStock
