175 cases of suicide charged this year as of June: Putrajaya

KUALA LUMPUR – Some 175 cases of attempted suicide have been charged between January and June, Putrajaya revealed.

Meanwhile, between 2018 and June this year, 902 cases were charged – 261 of which were in 2018, 243 in 2019, and 223 last year.

The information was given in a parliamentary reply yesterday when Noorita Sual (Tenom-PH) asked on the decriminalisation of suicide and statistics related to the matter.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob replied that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) is reviewing the laws on suicide abetment and attempt due to the rising number of incidents since 2015.

“The study will include looking into related legislation amendments in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, India, and Singapore. 

“The AGC is also examining the available legal options as well as the legal implications should attempted suicide be removed from the criminal justice system.

“In addition, the AGC is examining the need to amend other laws arising from decriminalising attempted suicides.”

On July 1, a total of 1,099 suicides were recorded in Malaysia from January 2020 – shortly after Covid-19 hit the country – until May this year.

Most of the victims were women and below 40 years old.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said in a statement that 468 suicides were recorded nationwide in the first five months of 2021.

In total, 1,708 cases were recorded from 2019 to 2021.

“From 2019 to 2021, 281 of the victims were men, while 1,427 were women,” said Jalil.

“Of these, 872 involved individuals aged between 15 and 18 years old, while 668 involved those aged from 19 to 40.”

For the period between January 2019 and last December, Johor saw the most suicides at 101.

From January to May this year, Selangor had the highest number at 117.

“Investigations found that the three main causes of suicides are family problems and emotional and financial distress,” said Jalil.

“Based on statistics, a majority of the cases involved hanging (75.1%), jumping off buildings (13.6%), and consumption of poison (5.7%).”

There has been a spate of reports and accounts of attempted suicide on social media and in mainstream news this year, as anxieties heighten due to economic hardships made worse by the pandemic and the lockdown enforced to control its spread. – The Vibes, September 15, 2021