Africa-Press – Namibia. NAMIBIAN Police deputy inspector general Joseph Shikongo says a unified front is needed to address suicide as Namibia strives to reduce its suicide rate, which is one of the highest on the African continent.
Shikongo said this at the launch of the Khomas Suicide Prevention Task Force in Windhoek on Friday. The task force was officially launched in observance of World Suicide Prevention Day, which is marked annually on 10 September. Shikongo said it was important to encourage the nation to unite in “the fight of our lifetime hardships”.
“It is unfortunate that there are no shortcuts in life to skip some of the hardship times in our journeys. It is therefore important to understand that in this life journey, we need each other, we need love [and] we need support,” he said.
Shikongo urged society to be humane and supportive. “Let us commemorate this day by remembering all those that have perished due to suicide, in our strive to reduce – if not to totally eliminate – suicide cases in our country,” he said.
According to police statistics, 745 Namibians took their own lives over the 18-month period from January 2020 to June 2021. This is an average of about 1,4 suicides per day.
The Khomas Suicide Prevention Task force is made up of stakeholders which include the ministries of health and social services, defence and veterans affairs, education, arts and culture, information and communication technology, gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare, the Namibian Police, the Office of the Auditor General, the Namibia Red Cross Society, Lifeline/Childline Namibia, the high commission of India, School of Destiny Associates (Soda), Regain Trust and Philippi Trust.
Its purpose is to create awareness and provide interventions on the prevention of suicidal behaviour in an effort to achieve zero suicides in the Khomas region.
The task force plans to, among other things, conduct information sharing activities with communities, have crisis interventions and referrals to link individuals to relevant resources and services, and conduct training on suicide prevention with various professionals such as health workers, wellness officers and police officers.
“We have a lot of myths when it comes to suicide and other issues. For the myths to change, hard work is needed from all aspects – from people themselves and from professionals,” says Emilia Newaya, a social worker at the health ministry and member of the task force.
