OVER the past five years, the Western Division accounted for 43 per cent of suicides, says National Committee on the Prevention of Suicide co-chair and Justice Ministry permanent secretary Selina Kuruleca.
She told the World Suicide Prevention Day event in Lautoka on Wednesday the figures were taken off data from the Fiji Police Force’s crime statistics unit.
Ms Kuruleca said the figure meant that the other 57 per cent was distributed among the three other divisions.
“This has been a concern for a while and that is why this World Suicide Prevention Day has been brought to Lautoka to bring visibility, to get people to talk about this issue, to listen, to make it more visible to the people here in Lautoka, that there is always hope, that we need to ask for help if we are in trouble, that there is a time and a place for everything,” she said.
“As the National Committee on the Prevention of Suicide, we are committed to ensuring that help reaches the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
Ms Kuruleca said approximately 110 suicide attempts were completed each year mostly by males.
“Since COVID, we’ve seen a shift in the numbers from young people between the ages of 15 to 35.
“Everyone gets into an issue, sometimes it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but know that there is light, also know that people are here to help you.”
