Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port Louis (Agenzia Fides)- In Mauritius in the Indian Ocean there is alarm for the number of cases of suicide, between 300 and 400 a year, according to a local Catholic weekly La Vie Catholique. Considering that every case of attempted suicide affects about thirty people, family members and friends, the phenomenon involves at least 60,000 people every year. In the case of a student the whole school is affected. Mauritius has a population of 1,240,000: the impact of the high number of suicides on society is evident.
La Vie Catholique refers to a study by psychologist Emilie Rivet who says that 14% of people who committed suicide between 2001 and 2004 were aged between 12 and 20 years.
Dr Rivet writes “nothing can prevent this suicide, the problem is mental and demands understanding and special efforts which involve various environments and service”.
Another psychologist Caroline Leung, explains that the number of young people considering suicide is higher than those who actually commit suicide. “Usually suicide attempts happen in problematic contexts: school failure, relational difficulties, family problems etc …” the expert said.
Sr Maud Adam, who works with young people in difficulty, says that people contemplating suicide give warning signs. “Once”- the Sister said - “I listened to a girl who wanted to commit suicide. After she had finished speaking I realised that she was in a difficult situation and could not cope. She felt the only way out was to disappear”. For Sr Adam the only way to help these people is to listen to them, make them feel they are loved, help them rediscover the joy of life and then they will find solutions to the problems which prompt thoughts of suicide.
Sr Adam says the root cause of the wave of suicides is cultural and spiritual: not many people include the transcendent in their horizon. “The strong spiritual dimension of life has been lost” the nun said. “People no longer entrust themselves to God. Life is routine work centred. God appears to have been forgotten by most people today”. However not by prison inmates who send messages by radio and refer to God regularly. “It is a way to hope and remain in contact with life” says Sr Adam.
The government of Mauritius has drafted an action plan to face the drama of suicides. The plan includes: awareness building and education with regard to persons at risk; boost a moral values campaign; foster relations in family; restrict access to certain drugs which can be sued for suicide. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/10/2006; righe 42 parole 541)
