High suicide rate among young housewives

We are horrified to learn from a cover story in  Star Weekeend of The Daily Star on September 27 that a total of 1,086 women committed suicide in the six upazilas of Jhenaidah district between 2014 and 2018, while another 9,373 women attempted suicide during the same time, according to data from the district civil surgeon's office. Society of Voluntary Activities (SOVA), a local NGO working on this issue, estimates that around 80 percent women who committed and attempted suicide were housewives. The findings are disturbing, to say the least.

The main reasons behind these suicides have been identified as torture by husbands and in-laws, dowry related violence, child marriage, drug addiction and the practice of polygamy by husbands, and domestic conflicts. Clearly, women in the district are in a vulnerable situation because they are totally dependent on their husbands' income. Most women do not have the educational qualification needed to be economically independent. The SOVA survey found that of the housewives who committed and attempted suicide, 44.7 percent had no formal education, 15.8 percent had primary and 39.5 percent had secondary education.

Although we have the necessary laws to prevent child marriage, it still takes place—mostly in the villages—because of a lack of enforcement of the laws and the existing legal loopholes. Similarly, the dowry laws are also not enforced because it is still considered a part of our culture. Child marriage and dowry practices are criminal offences and those who are engaged in such acts should face strict punishment according to our laws. Also, only criminalising such practices are not enough, we should work towards changing the society's mind-set to stop these social evils that are leading to so many deaths.

The government needs to take proper preventive measures to address this issue. The suicide rate of farmers in Jhenidah is also very alarming. It is still unclear why the directives given by the prime minister herself with regard to establishing an institution in the district dedicated to studying suicides and finding ways to address the problem has not yet been implemented. The issue is serious and it needs immediate attention.