WUNRN
Nepal -
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Suicide
is now the leading cause of death among young women, whereas in 1998 it was
third (file photo) |
KATHMANDU, 21 January 2010 (IRIN) - Suicide
has emerged as the single leading cause of death among women in
The Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Study 2008/2009 undertaken
by the Family Health Division (FHD) of the Department of Health Services looked
at changes in maternal mortality in
The
year-long study from April 2008 of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) was
carried out in eight districts chosen to represent different ethnicities and
levels of development in
The
total population of women of this age group in these districts was over 86,000.
But in
preliminary findings that the study described as shocking, of the 1,496 deaths
recorded, suicide - rather than maternal-related issues - was the single
leading cause of death, accounting for 16 percent of deaths.
In the
1998 study, suicide ranked as the third single cause of death.
The
finding "highlights the urgent need to address this issue, which has
received little attention since its significance was first noted in 1998,"
the study said.
The second
single leading cause was accidents, accounting for 9 percent of deaths; no
details were specified about the nature of these.
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Psychosocial problems among
women have been on the rise in post-conflict |
"We are absolutely concerned with
the findings. This was totally unexpected," Bal Krishna Subedi, who led
the study and is a former FHD director, told IRIN. "It has opened our eyes
to delve into this issue," he said.
The
study also found the overall maternal mortality rate in
Causes hard to pin down
The
study said mental health problems, relationships, marriage and family issues
were factors in suicides, as was youth, since 21 percent of the suicides were
committed by young women aged 18 years and under.
However,
it did not elaborate on these issues and noted that more research was required
into the causes.
"Research
is needed to improve understanding of the circumstances and contributory
factors of these tragic events, to guide interventions," it said.
"We
need more analysis to find the causes behind suicide, in order to go forward to
address this serious concern at the community level," said Sushil Baral,
health adviser for the
"Gender-based
violence could be one of the major cause(s), but to what extent it actually
impacts, needs to be further studied," he said.
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For female Maoist former
combatants, returning to their homes and villages has been difficult |
Suicides under-reported
Women
activists said the study results were not surprising, and that the problem
could be even more widespread because suicides are under-reported.
"Most
families will never report suicide cases as they are afraid of being entangled
in police cases," Pinky Rana, director of Samanta, a local women’s rights
NGO, told IRIN.
The
only way to prevent suicides is to criminalize the causes of death, such as
dowry disputes and domestic violence, said Sapana Malla Pradhan, a member of
parliament and president of the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD).
"Once
there is suicide, the case is closed and never investigated on what led women
committing such [a] drastic step, said Pradhan.
There
was a need for proper research to get an accurate picture of suicide among
women. However, most aid agencies were not interested in funding such research
or studies, she added.
Women’s
groups also said there was a need for psychosocial counselling in many parts of
the country to help women to cope with issues such as depression.
"There
is a crucial need for counselling training programmes and we need more
counsellors to help these poor victims," said Pradhan.
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