KHUJAND August 15, 2009, Asia-Plus — Suicide rates are high in the northern Sughd province.
Sughd police officials say they have registered 106 suicides in the first seven months of this year, which is 25 cases more than in the same period of last year. There were also 56 attempted suicides in the province over the report period.
84 of those who have committed suicide or attempted to kill themselves over the same seven-month period are men, including eight underage boys, and 78 other are women, including 10 underage girls, according to press service of the Sughd police directorate.
The listed causes of suicides and suicide attempts were mental diseases (41), economic problems (17), family problems (28), and other reasons (76).
Experts note that for many Tajiks, suicide is a religious and social taboo. Islam condemns the practice, and society sometimes stigmatizes families of people who have killed themselves. For that reason, many people don”t report deaths as suicides.
