Suicide in Singapore

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Suicide cases in Singapore have been rising in recent years, with rates of suicide increasing for all demographics. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is the leading cause of death for persons aged between 10 and 29 years old. [5] Males account for the most suicides at over 66.6% of all suicides. [5]

Contents

Singapore ranked 105th by age-standardised suicide rate according to the World Health Organization in 2016. [6] Generally, the rate of suicide is rising. In 2016, the rate of suicide was 8.54 per 100,000 individuals, up from 8.43 in 2015. [7]

Like most issues of mental illness and death, suicide is generally viewed as a taboo subject in Singapore. [8] [9] The pressure exerted by parents on their children to produce good academic results has also been a contributing factor in some suicides. [10] [11]

Legality

On 9 September 2018, the Penal Code review committee called for the law on attempted suicide to be repealed. [12] [13] The criminalisation of suicide in Singapore had been criticised for being an ineffective deterrent and an inappropriate response to persons who attempted suicide. [13] [14] On 6 May 2019, the law was officially amended to decriminalise suicide. [15]

Prior to the Bill, attempted suicide was punishable with a fine and/or imprisonment of up to one year. [16] The offence was rarely enforced; between 2013 and 2015, only 0.6% of reported cases were brought to court. [15] [13] It is still illegal to abet or assist another person in suicide. [15] [17] A higher penalty is given to persons who abet suicide if the victim is less than 18 years old, intoxicated or mentally ill. [18]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Mahmud, Aqil Haziq. "Number of elderly suicides at all-time high: SOS". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  2. ↑ Rashith, Rahimah (2018-07-30). "Number of suicides among seniors hits record high". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Cheow, Sue-Ann (2018-05-30). "Numbers up and ages down for child suicides: experts explain". tnp. The New Papaer. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "129 elderly suicides in 2017, record high for Singapore: SOS". Yahoo News. Yahoo. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  5. 1 2 Chia, Rachel Genevieve (2018-10-16). "Suicide is the main cause of death for millennials in Singapore – and most of them are men". Business Insider Singapore. Business Singapore. Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  6. ↑ "GHO | By category | Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country". apps.who.int. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  7. ↑ hermes (2017-07-28). "Slight rise in number of suicides last year". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  8. ↑ "More arrested for attempting suicide". AsiaOne. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  9. ↑ "How Can I Help Someone Who Is Suicidal?". CLEO Singapore. 2018-02-26. Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  10. ↑ Amy Tan (29 August 2001), Girl's suicide highlights Singapore school stress, Reuters (reproduced on the Singaporeans for Democracy website), archived from the original on 19 June 2003.
  11. ↑ "Singapore's price for education success: streaming, stress and suicides". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  12. ↑ "Penal Code review committee calls for law on attempted suicide to be scrapped off". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  13. 1 2 3 Lum, Selina (2018-09-09). "Penal Code review committee: Punishment not the answer for people attempting suicide". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  14. ↑ Lim, Corinna (20 February 2013). "Suicide laws deter treatment, not attempts". aware. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 "Criminal Law Reform Bill: A look at key changes in the Penal Code". TodayOnline. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  16. ↑ "Penal Code - Singapore Statutes Online". sso.agc.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  17. ↑ "Penal Code - Singapore Statutes Online". sso.agc.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  18. ↑ "Penal Code - Singapore Statutes Online". sso.agc.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
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