The Suicide Plague in India. One woman takes her life every 25 minutes

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In India, suicide is most often committed by women who are dependent on their husbands and are housewives. In 2020 22,372 women took its own life. This gives an average 61 suicides a day or one made every 25 minutes. As reported by the website, these suicides accounted for 14.6 percent. of all registered suicides in India in 2020 (153,052) and over 50% total number of suicides committed by women.

Unfortunately, last year was no exception. Since 1997, when the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) began collecting suicide data from reports, it has been revealed that more than 20,000 housewives are killed each year. In 2009, their number increased to 25,092.

Why do women commit suicide so en masse? According to experts, the cause is widespread domestic violence. As much as 30 percent All women recently admitted to having faced spousal violence and that their daily hard work makes their relationships oppressive.

“Women are really hardy, but there is a tolerance limit”

Many burdensome household chores are imposed on women in India, and their lives often turn into a chore. In an interview with bbc.com dr Usha Verma Srivastava, a clinical psychologist from the northern city of Varanasi told about the experiences of women in the home.

Women are really hardy, but there is a tolerance limit. Most girls get married as soon as they reach the age of 18 for marriage. A young woman becomes a wife and daughter-in-law and spends all day at home cooking, cleaning and doing housework. He has little freedom and seldom has access to his own money. Her education and dreams cease to matter, her ambition slowly fades away, despair and disappointment arise, and existence itself becomes torture.

– explains the psychologist.

Not only young women take their own lives. This problem also applies to the older generation. Their motivation to commit suicide is completely different.

Many of them struggle with the empty nest syndrome after the children have grown up and left the home. Many of them suffer from perimenopausal symptoms that can cause depression and crying.

– adds Dr. Usha Verma Srivastava.

Women cannot count on help

Unfortunately, most women cannot count on help and support because they do not leave the house at all. A psychologist Chaitali Sinha, who previously worked in a Mumbai mental hospital for three years, told bbc.com that women tried to engage in conversation and receive support from other women while shopping or traveling by train. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has reduced opportunities for contact with other women.

[…] Housewives had a safe space after the men left for work, but this disappeared during the pandemic. In situations of domestic violence, it also meant that they were often trapped with their perpetrators. This further restricted their movements and their ability to do things that brought them joy or comfort. So anger, pain, and sadness increase over time, and suicide appears as a last resort.

Chaitali Sinha explains.

Women are more likely to commit suicide than divorce

In India it is often said that marriage is for eternity. According to a UN report “Women’s Progress of the World’s Women” India has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world, with only 1.1 percent of women aged 45-49 divorced by 2010. This does not mean, however, that these marriages are happy. In fact, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in recent years, it seems that most women in unhappy marriages choose death over divorce. Geeta Luthra, a senior attorney at the Supreme Court of India, told ThePrint that depression was the biggest cause of suicide.

In 2012, in The Lancet magazine, Dr. Vikram Patel emphasized that the problem also lies with culture and arranged marriages.

Many women face arranged marriages by force. They have dreams and aspirations, but often don’t have supportive spouses. Sometimes their parents don’t support them either. They are trapped in a difficult system and social environment. The resulting lack of a romantic, trusting, and affectionate relationship with your spouse can lead to such tragedies

– explains.

Suicides in India are still taboo and not openly discussed. Many families try to hide the shame they face, which is facilitated by the regulations, e.g. in rural India there is no obligation to conduct an autopsy. On the other hand, wealthy families, in which their member has taken his life, cover up their suicides. The United Nations aims to reduce the number of suicides worldwide by a third by 2030, but last year it increased by 10%. compared to the previous year.