Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Decriminalization of suicide

CRIMINALIZATON OF SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS IN NIGERIA: TO STAY OR TO GO (By Abdulsalam Yunusa)

Photo credit: Unsplash — Nick Fewings INTRODUCTION   According to the United States of America’s Center for Disease Control (CDC), suicide is death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die. [while] A suicide attempt is when someone harms themselves with any intent to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions [1] . For a very long time, suicide has been an issue of public health concern in both the developed and developing countries worldwide, causing an alarming number of yearly deaths, which was estimated by the World Health Organization in 2019 to be over 700,000 worldwide [2] , with Nigerians 9.5 per every 100,000 of that number according to the WHO’s 2016 Global Health Observatory Data Repository. More disturbing, is that suicide was found to be the fourth commonest cause of death among 15-29 year olds. [2] Nigeria in the past few years have witnessed an increase in suicides and suicidal attempts; perhaps the case is gaining more publ...