A psychology lecturer, Emmanuel Nii Boye Quarshie, and others, plan to petition Parliament to decriminalize suicide.
In an interview with Citi News, Emmanuel Nii Boye Quarshie said the petition was informed by eight years of research as he noted that Ghana instead needed suicide prevention policies.
“We want government to repeal the law, take it out and rather put in intervention policies and suicide prevention policies,” Mr. Quarshie stated.
“We got this law from the British, and they repealed theirs in 1961 and since then, they have not completely eliminated suicidal behaviour, but the rates are tolerably low. It is not just with the British, but other countries who have repealed that law have seen downward trends in terms of prevalence.”
Mr. Quarshie was speaking on the sidelines of a University of Ghana forum on suicide for some final year students.
The Talk was against the background of increased reports of alleged suicide cases in the last few weeks. Two university students, one JHS pupil and four others have all committed suicide in the last one month.
The latest research by the department on suicide shows adolescent suicide is highest in schools, with children of single parents being the most affected.
Invest in mental health to reduce suicides – Dr Osafo
A clinical psychologist and suicidologist at the University of Ghana, Dr. Joseph Osafo, has bemoaned the lack of seriousness in terms of government investments and support for mental health.
According to him, this situation has contributed to the increasing trend of suicide in the country.
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By: Caleb Kudah/Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana