Suicide Prevention
The Suicide Prevention Working Group has been set up to champion advocacy for the decriminalisation of suicide and suicidal behaviour in countries where it is criminalised. The Working Group also encourages the development of national suicide prevention policies and frameworks to allow for individuals with lived experience to access the support they need.
Co-Chairs
Ali Hasnain
United for Global Mental Health
Katherine Thomson International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)
Our Focus
Suicide remains illegal in at least 20 countries and whilst these countries vary, in some places these laws are enforced with punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment. The criminalisation of attempted suicide can prevent individuals from being able to access the support they need and increase stigma. Through this Working Group, we aim to champion advocacy for the decriminalisation of suicide and suicidal behaviour in countries where this is still criminalised.
Our objectives include:
advocating for the repeal of legislation around the world that criminalises suicide and suicidal behaviour.
strengthening collaboration amongst those advocating for the decriminalisation of suicide and suicidal behaviour.
promoting evidence-based advocacy and communications efforts to inform advocacy for the decriminalisation of suicide and suicidal behaviour.
Our Work
The Caribbean’s call to action - Blog by Desarie Nicholas, CariCope Wellness Alliance: Leaving no Caribbean Island behind: “Suicide is not a crime”
In 2021 we worked with the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw programme, along with an international law firm, to conduct research into:
The legal structures in countries where suicide is a criminal offence;
The repercussions for those who attempt suicide in these countries (and for their friends and families);
The opportunities for advocacy and reform around the world.
On the back of this research, we published the report Decriminalising Suicide: Saving lives, reducing stigma as an informational tool for those campaigning for the decriminalisation of suicide.
Our Impact
Laws that criminalise suicide deter people from seeking help and further stigmatises mental health. Through UnitedGMH’s advocacy support to GMHAN member organisations, and collaboration with key partners, national campaigners secured the decriminalisation of suicide in four countries: Pakistan, Ghana, Guyana and Malaysia. GMHAN’s Suicide Decriminalisation Working Group was recognised in the Ghanaian Parliament for supporting national actors advocating to decriminalise suicide. Now anyone in these countries who is driven to contemplate suicide can legally seek help. 309 million people are now living under rights-based laws due to suicide decriminalisation.
How to join us:
Ensure you are a member of the Global Mental Health Action Network. Sign up here.
Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive an email inviting you to sign up for our Working Groups and register for our networking platform, Circle. Please use the same email address that you used when registering for the Action Network when submitting the Working Group form.
If you are already a member of the Action Network, sign up for the Working Group using this form.