There has been a worrying recent increase in cases of suicides, a sign that issues of depression and mental health are not being taken seriously in our communities. Mental health and suicide are associated with a lot of stigma which makes it difficult for people to open up and get help. With suicide rates increasing it is evident that the right help is not reaching people on time and we still have a long way to go.
The month of September is suicide prevention month and the 2022 world suicide prevention day theme is, “Creating Hope Through Action.” Through this theme there is need for communities to work together to create a movement for preventative action, recognise the impact of suicide and share resources and support those who are struggling.
The women folk has been equally affected by the suicide pandemic directly or indirectly. Depression is a major risk factor that contributes to suicide in women. A lot of women are victims of gender-based violence and in some cases these victims do not have any one to talk to or share with their marital problems which will sadly result in suicide.
In sad and disheartening cases women actually vent out when they are being abused but society expects them to be strong and soldier on. Women have been raised up to believe that marriage is not a walk in the park and no matter how hard it gets they are supposed to soldier on for the sake of their children and their own integrity. Parents are also ashamed of their parenting skills being questioned when their daughter has been divorced. What our parents and the rest of the community do not realise is that a divorced daughter is better than a dead daughter.
Over the years women were domesticated, the only thing that were expected of them was house chores, taking care of their children and this resulted in women being overly dependent on men, their lives evolved around their husbands creating problems when there were infidelities or problems in that marriage. That feeling when the only thing you thought you lived for has gone south has been a reason for many women to resort to suicide.
The past few months has seen an increase in suicide amongst the opposite gender in Zimbabwe. This has been attributed to infidelity, and it has resulted in women being fingered as the cause of this pandemic. This is just one of the many ways in which suicide is affecting the women folk. They are accused of having killed their boyfriends and husbands if not handled well this could lead to depression which also results in suicide.
Besides women being accused of being perpetrators of suicide they are also victims. After losing their loved ones women are burdened with taking care of families on their own, dealing with the negativity that comes from the society and if one does not get the required help in time this might also result in suicide.
Suicide is everyone’s child hence, a cause for our society to take issues of mental health seriously as this has become a new pandemic that is affecting everyone in our society. There is need to create hope through action to end suicide. The month of September should be a starting point for everyone in dealing with suicide by checking on our loved ones, reminding them that they are not a burden and they should open up whenever they are feeling low or depressed.
Feministry
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