THIS week the Senate of Pakistan debated and 

deferred a proposed
bill seeking to decriminalise suicide attempts. The bill
recommended that Section 325 in the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860,
and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, be omitted. This section
reads: “Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act
towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with
simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or
with fine, or with both.”

In contrast, the proposed bill stipulates: “Despite the crucial nature of the act
of suicide and reasons behind it, Section 325 incriminates the person
committing it and prescribes the sentence ... The issue of suicide ought to be
dealt as a disease and should be treated as one… The object of this amendment
is to decriminalise the suicide attempt by any person as it is always done with
some depression or mental illness or disorder.”

Although the bill received some support from Senate members, there were
concerns that medicalising and therein legitimising suicide was inappropriate,
given the clear religious sanctions prohibiting it.

Read: Decriminalisation will lead to suicide prevention

Regrettably, the bill’s wording and the arguments that were made in the
Senate reflect a lack of scientific understanding around decriminalising self-
harm and the larger challenge of suicide prevention. Crucially, it must be
noted that all instances of self-harm are not attempts to end one’s life. The
intent to die is difficult to operationalise, even after a careful psychiatric
assessment. In fact, a majority of episodes of self-harm are triggered by
intolerable feelings, bleak situations, or are a cry for help.

There is no evidence that laws criminalising suicide attempts have lowered

suicide rates.

For this reason, the nomenclature of “attempted suicide” has long been
displaced by the more scientific “self-harm” which may or may not entail
suicidal intent. The former is predominantly caused by serious mental
disorders, for example severe forms of depressive or psychotic illnesses, which
distort emotional and cognitive abilities but which can be completely treated if
detected well in time. The latter case is usually the result of severe emotional
pain where hurting oneself may help numb tormenting experiences and bring
about temporary relief. Such cases, too, need medical help where a therapeutic
alliance, empathic understanding, a strengthening of existing support and
guidance to navigate forward can reverse situations of hopelessness and
despair. In other instances, social adversity, severe conflict, violence or loss
may also be associated with suicidal behaviour.

Irrespective of the nature of the malady, those who are at risk of taking their
own lives must be helped. Furthermore, it should be noted that even from a
religious point of view, the reason Islam condemns chosen death is because it
upholds the sanctity of life. It is a strong doctrine which equates saving a life
to saving humanity.

There are other problems at hand too. There is no evidence that legislations
that have criminalised suicide attempts, often originally introduced by colonial
powers, have led to any reduction in suicide rates. In the absence of any legal
persecution in Pakistan, this legislation serves to socially persecute and shame
those already suffering. As a result of deeply ingrained stigma, citizens resist
seeking help, medicolegal services act as a threat and health professionals
remain ignorant of their medical duty to offer effective interventions. For
these reasons, many countries have removed such legislations altogether and
are instead working to strengthen suicide prevention programmes that are
centred on population-based, education-based and healthcare-based
interventions.

According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 20,000 people die by

suicide every year in Pakistan. The estimated number of Pakistanis who try to
harm themselves each year is about 10 to 20 times higher. It is also well
established that the strongest risk factor for suicide is a previous attempt. Any
person who ends up attempting self-harm needs medical attention and regular
follow-up. In many cases, the tendency for suicidal ideation fluctuates over
time and can be detected in medical reviews.

As Pakistan prioritises its 2030 SDG agenda, it is worth noting that addressing
suicide mortality rates is one way to reduce premature mortality from non-
communicable diseases through the extension of mental healthcare. So far
Pakistan lacks official suicide mortality statistics, which are much needed to
monitor suicide indicators. In an encouraging development this year, mental
health has been identified as a priority for public health planning and
coordination by the Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives as
part of the country’s national priorities. Under these efforts, a national suicide
database has been initiated in the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
database.