Campaign to decriminalize suicide in four Caribbean countries is gaining momentum

By Liam On Jun 28, 2024

Pressure to decriminalize suicide in four Caribbean countries is growing as a new coalition comes together for the first time to fight for the repeal of colonial-era laws.

A group of people with experience of poor mental health, government officials, activists, legal experts and healthcare workers, led by organizations in the Caribbean, will advocate for legislative reform. They want to lower the barriers for people seeking help and ensure that mental health care can function without fear of legal repercussions and ultimately save lives.

Suicide is illegal in St. Lucia, Grenada, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago, and attempted suicide is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine. The laws were introduced by the British during colonial rule. Suicide was decriminalized in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the 1960s – it has never been a crime under Scottish law.

The human toll of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is enormous and rising. These diseases end the lives of about 41 million of the 56 million people who die each year – and three-quarters of them are in developing countries.

NCDs are simply that; Unlike a virus, for example, you cannot contract them. Instead, they are caused by a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors. The main types are cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disease – heart attacks and strokes. About 80% are preventable and all are increasing, spreading inexorably around the world as aging populations and lifestyles fueled by economic growth and urbanization make unhealthy lifestyles a global phenomenon.

NCDs, once seen as diseases of the rich, now have a hold on the poor. Disease, disability and death are perfectly designed to create and increase inequality – and being poor makes you less likely to be properly diagnosed or treated.

Investment in addressing these common and chronic conditions, which kill 71% of us, is incredibly low, while the costs to families, economies and communities are staggering.

In low-income countries, NCDs – typically slow and debilitating diseases – see a fraction of the money needed invested or donated. Attention remains focused on the threats of communicable diseases, but cancer mortality rates have long surpassed the death toll from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined.

‘A common condition’ is a series from The Guardian reporting on non-communicable diseases in developing countries: their prevalence, solutions, causes and consequences. The stories of people living with these diseases are also told.

Tracy McVeigh, editor

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A common condition

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The human toll of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is enormous and rising. These diseases claim the lives of about 41 million of the 56 million people who die each year – and three-quarters of them are in developing countries.

NCDs, once seen as diseases of the rich, now grip the poor. Disease, disability and death are perfectly designed to create and increase inequality – and if you are poor, you are less likely to be accurately diagnosed or treated.

Very little investment is being made to tackle these common, chronic conditions that kill 71% of the population, while the costs to families, economies and communities are staggeringly high.

In low-income countries, NCDs – typically slow and debilitating diseases – see a fraction of the money needed being invested or donated. Attention remains focused on the threats of communicable diseases, but cancer death rates have long surpassed the death tolls from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined.

‘A common condition’ is a Guardian series reporting on non-communicable diseases in developing countries: their prevalence, solutions, causes and consequences, and the stories of people living with them.

Tracy McVeigh, editor

Although the laws are rarely enforced in the Caribbean and many people are unaware they exist, there have been reports of arrests. The laws are still used to threaten people, said coalition member Desarie Nicholas, a social worker and the founder of Caricope Wellness Alliance, an organization that provides mental health care to people in the Caribbean.

“I had a client who came out of a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt and she was told, ‘You have to contact us every month because if you don’t, you know we could send you to jail,’” said Nicholas. “How does that help them feel cared for and safe and willing to be really honest about how they feel? This law affects everything we do and the way we think about things.”

Around the world, there are 25 countries where suicide attempts are still a crime and 27 where the status of legal frameworks remains unclear, according to Decriminalize suicide worldwidea global campaign by Lifeline International.

The decision to repeal laws in the Caribbean comes as several countries, including Guyana, Pakistan, Ghana and Malaysia, have abolished similar colonial-era laws criminalizing suicide.

It follows the Bridgetown Statementaccepted at the Small Island Developing States last year’s Ministerial Conference on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, where members committed to decriminalizing suicide.

Dr. Timothy Morgan, Director of the Mental Health Department at the Ministry of Health in Guyana, where in 2022 the Suicide Prevention Act repealed the law that made suicide a criminal offense and replaced it with a National Suicide Prevention Plan, said: “While it is unusual for people who attempt suicide in Guyana to be charged or imprisoned, the previous law only added an additional layer of legal complexity for those who experience emotional distress from contemplating suicide and require mental health care.”

More than 700,000 people worldwide die by suicide every year, about three-quarters (77%) in low- and middle-income countries. It is the fourth leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.

Reducing the global suicide mortality rate by a third by 2030 is a target of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the World Health Organization, which says laws making suicide and suicide attempts illegal remain an obstacle to achieving this goal. The WHO released this a guide to decriminalizing suicide for policymakers, explaining how countries deal with this.

International helplines can be found at www.vriendenvrienden.orgIn the United Kingdom and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia there is a crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14