A man attempted to take his own life yesterday by jumping off the Valletta bastions. Several onlookers gathered around the scene, however, most urged the man to jump instead of trying to help him.
The Third Eye is appalled by the comments that were said to the man who was clearly in a vulnerable position. Suicide is a serious topic that should not be taken lightly and should never be encouraged.
Student organisations voiced their own thoughts regarding the situation, with KSU highlighting the number of suicide deaths a year
“… close to 800,000 people choose to end their own lives. This works out to one person every 40 seconds.”
With a number that high, people should be more sensitive to people who are struggling, instead of shaming them for their actions or thoughts.
Other student organisations spoke out about the events, with the MMSA stating that there should be
“more awareness on the topic.”
The Third Eye agrees with the above statement, as suicide should not be treated as a taboo subject, but rather as something that should be discussed openly in order to prevent future tragedies. Furthermore, we believe it is critical to educate people from a young age on how to approach someone who has suicidal thoughts and tendencies so that events like those in Valletta do not repeat themselves.
Betapsi released a statement mentioning important points on what to do when encountering a suicidal person:
“…the first thing to do is to report it to the police and call an ambulance. When talking to the person, it is important to keep calm and to encourage them to come back to safety.”
Further organisations, such as SDM, continue to show their support to those struggling by encouraging them to speak up
“You don’t have to struggle in silence.”
While Pulse raised their concerns over the lack of discussion there is around the topic
“Suicide is a serious public health problem and if the subject of mental health will continue to be neglected in our islands, suicide rated will increase extensively”.
Student organisations have spoken, and it is clear that serious discussions need to take place regarding the topic of suicide as many feel that education on the subject is lacking, resulting in incidents such as that of yesterday.
Below are some sources available to use when you need to talk to someone:
The full comments from the above mentioned student organizations are found here: