Suicide by ingesting poison took the first spot with 51 cases followed by hanging with 26, drowning 2 and shooting came last with 1 case. Agago district registered the highest number with 20 cases followed by Omoro with 14, Gulu 13 and Pader 12 cases. Amuru, Kitgum, Lamwo and Nwoya districts registered 8, 7, 4 and 2 suicide cases respectively.
Eighty cases
of suicide were registered in Acholi Sub –Region between January and October
this year, according to statistics released by Gulu Sheffield Mental Health
Partnership in collaboration with Gulu Regional Referral Hospital. According to
the breakdown of the statistics, 57 of the cases involved male victims while
the rest were female.
Suicide by
ingesting poison took the first spot with 51 cases followed by hanging with 26,
drowning 2 and shooting came last with 1 case. Agago district registered the
highest number with 20 cases followed by Omoro with 14, Gulu 13 and Pader 12
cases. Amuru, Kitgum, Lamwo and Nwoya districts registered 8, 7, 4 and 2
suicide cases respectively.
Freddy
Odong, the Project Officer of the Suicide Prevention Project under Gulu
Sheffield Mental Health Partnership told URN in an interview that although the
registered suicide cases appear alarming, many more cases were not
captured.
He says one of the biggest causes of the suicide cases in the region
was the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic that left many anxious and
economically burdened.
//Cue in: “The pandemic actually…
Cue out
…living in anxiety.” //
Odong says most of the suicides were a result of misunderstandings relating to
land wrangles and domestic brawls.
// Cue in: “Some people who…
Cue out
…lost their lives,” //
He said it will be so hard to completely get rid of suicide because of
stigmatization of survivors and victims and criminalization of attempted
suicide cases.
Stella Kijange, a Women’s Rights Activist and a contestant for the Nwoya
District Woman MP seat said the impact of the Lord’s Resistance Army –LRA
insurgency in Northern Uganda is the main reason for the increased suicide
cases due to lack of adequate psychosocial support for the vulnerable
residents.
She says the capacity of social workers should be built so that they
go on the ground to offer psycho-social support alongside the livelihood
support programs by the government and other partners.
Jesse Johnson James
Freelancer