7-Year-Old is Youngest to Take Own Life

Males top number of cases, calls tripled during lockdowns

The reason why more males commit suicide when compared to females is because they hide their emotions. Lifeline Fiji highlighted this as it received a $5000 donation from the Fiji Commerce and Employee Federation top executive conference yesterday.

Team Leader, Jeremaia Merekula said males made up 60 per cent of suicide cases every year.

He said most of these males were young people between the ages of 15 and 35 years.

Mr Merekula said that every 36 hours, a Fijian attempted to complete suicide. The organisation was using the term ‘complete’ instead of ‘commit’ because of the choice a person had made to end life.

“Having that outlet where males can reach out for help is what we are grateful for,” he said.

A seven-year-old child was still the country’s youngest suicide victim. The youngster completed

(committed) suicide in 2018.

“No one is going through anything alone. Whatever you are going through, there is someone, somewhere that is going through the same situation that you are going through.”

“Reach out to someone you trust.”

Helpline calls tripled during COVID-19 lockdowns

Lifeline Fiji also has revealed that the number of calls they received, tripled during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“This was because of people being isolated and out of their normal behaviours of what they would normally do. They are being isolated within their homes,” he said.

“People call the line to seek as to what they can do when they are at home isolated if they have contracted COVID-19.

“We have callers who call in for financial constraints; we have callers who call in who are struggling with their school work; we have callers who call in regarding domestic violence or relationship problems.

Mr Merekula said there were senior people who called the organisation because of loneliness.

“They do not have anyone to talk to because their children have gone to work or have left them at home and live somewhere else. We would receive calls just because a person wanted to talk.

“Anxiety can come in all sorts of forms, and I believe with our children, the way they show anxiety was when they were not coping with their school work or how they were responding within their schools.

“If you are thinking you are hitting rock bottom or at your boiling point, reach out to someone that cares, reach out to someone you trust.”

HELPLINE AVAILABLE Lifeline Fiji - 1543 Empower Pacific - 5626