17/03/2008 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“The importance of teenage suicide is underestimated as there are tens of thousands of suicides every year. It is a serious public health issue and has to be made a top political priority,” according to a report drawn up by Bernard Marquet (Monaco, ALDE).
According to statistics available from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, suicide kills more people than traffic accidents. The Russian Federation, Hungary and Slovenia are among the Council of Europe member states with the highest suicide rates. In the 11-24 age-group, two thirds of young suicides are are males and one third females. There is also evidence that suicide rates are higher in the LGBT group, entailing the need to take specific measures, including combating homophobia and stigmatisation.
In a draft resolution adopted by the Social Affairs Committee in Paris on 14 March, parliamentarians express concern about the risk of harm from online information promoting suicide and stress that protecting children and young people from such risks forms part of the general obligations of member states pursuant to the European Convention on Human Rights. A series of concrete measures aimed at preventing suicide, including repeat attempts through appropriate health and social policies, will be submitted to a vote by the Parliamentary Assembly at its next plenary session (Strasbourg, 14-18 April).