Paris, Sep 11 (IANS) France has announced the creation of a “national observatory” to fight the problem of suicides that every year claim 10,000 lives in the country.
Health Minister Marisol Touraine made the announcement on the occasion of the Worldwide Day of Suicide Prevention that was observed Tuesday, Prensa Latina news agency reported.
The creation of such an observatory has been in demand since 2011 by 44 specialists for making suicide prevention a public health priority.
France has one of the highest suicide rates in the European Union (EU) with 14.7 suicides for every 100,000 inhabitants, well above the regional average of 10.2.
It is estimated that annually, 220,000 people in France attempt suicide and most of those are between 35 and 64 years of age.
The institution will have three main functions: to collect information about the problem, conduct additional necessary research and propose actions to prevent the problem that annually leads to the deaths of nearly three times as many people as those killed in traffic accidents, reports the website France Info.
Depression, sexual violence, loneliness, unemployment, low incomes, drug consumption, tobacco or alcohol addiction and discrimination are thought to be the causes.
