Tragic stories aboundSuicides are a grim reality [Archives:2003/682/Community]

By Husain al-Zuraiqi
Yemen Times
Hudaida Bureau
Statistics show suicides may be increasing in Yemen, as cases reached 1,212 in 2002.These are reported cases, but non-reported ones are much more. The studies show that most of these cases are triggered by economic difficulties, and most suicides were committed because of not having a dignified life.
For example in August and September of 2003 in Hudaida, the number of reported suicides is 12, including of a man in al-Dhuha district who timed a bomb to explode while he was sleeping, killing both his wife and himself. Failed suicides are also reported, such as when a young lady threw herself into a well and a young man who shot himself because of bankruptcy.
In Jizan Street in Hudaida a man threw himself off a building and died on the way to the hospital, and there have been similar cases in Hamees, Bura, Bait al-Faqeeh and al-Zahra reported where the reason was found to be financial.The question here is, will the state let these numbers pass by without acknowledging that there is a problem here? In fact it seems that the state is making use of these issues to collect money from the people and make their life worse!
For example when the man killed himself in al-Dhuha in August Bagil, security forces moved to investigate the case and charged the locals 42,000 YR for the expenses of the security that went to investigate the case! These events and the way authorities are dealing with them only put more pressure onto the already hard mental status of the people.
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