A total of 180 Indian expats committed suicide in Bahrain since 2014

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

A total of 180 Indian expatriates committed suicide in Bahrain since 2014, according to Indian government.

The details were revealed by V Muraleedharan, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, in his response to a member of the Indian Parliament.

Over 600 Indian nationals allegedly committed suicide in the UAE while the number stands at 545 for Kuwait.

More than 300 Indian expatriates committed suicide in Saudi Arabia during the same period while the number was 123 for Oman.

According to sociological researcher Al Ansari, the majority of suicide victims in the Kingdom were male, young, single or divorced, unemployed and with a low education level.

“The majority of victims had chronic mental disorders, mainly schizophrenia, depression and substance abuse. The most notable environmental risks were reported to be family problems, family history of suicidal behaviour, and financial and relationship problems.

“The sociodemographic and clinical risk profile in Bahrain differs from other developed and developing countries,” he explained in one of the research papers. Earlier, speaking to The Daily Tribune, a social worker linked many suicides to debt traps in which many Indian expatriates have fallen.

“Due to poor financial situations, many have fallen prey to loan sharks, who file police cases against them upon delaying the payments with huge interests. Loan sharks obtain travel bans against these victims by presenting signed cheque leaves and promissory notes before courts.

“Unable to meet their family members for a very long would definitely create a mental depression in these victims, most often leading to suicides. “Controlling loan sharks would certainly reduce the number of suicides committed by Indian nationals in Bahrain.”

He said disputes within the family along with inherent psychological disorders were also the reasons behind the increasing number of suicides.

The Daily Tribune earlier reported that 162 Indian nationals are being sentenced in the Kingdom for various offences and among them, thirteen are facing life sentences.

As many as 8,278 Indian prisoners, including undertrials, are lodged in foreign prisons at present, with 156 of them serving life sentences.

The Indian minister said that the government attaches the highest priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indians in foreign countries, including those in prisons there.

Indian missions and posts abroad remain vigilant and closely monitor the situations of Indian nationals and their welfare, the minister pointed out. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year, almost one million people die from suicide and 20 times more people attempt suicide; a global mortality rate of 16 per 100,000, or one death every 40 seconds and one attempt every three seconds, on average.

Various studies reveal that rates of suicide have greatly increased among youth, and youth are now the group at highest risk in one-third of the developed and developing countries.

The WHO points out that the emerging phenomenon of “cyber-suicide” in the internet era is a further cause for concern; also because the use of new methods of suicide is associated with epidemic increases in overall suicide rates.