Forced marriages major reason behind Chitral suicide rate hike

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Forced marriages are a major reason behind the recent hike in suicide rate in Chitral, officials investigating the matter said, a local media outlet reported on Monday.

“Family problems, lower marks in examinations and marriages without consent are the main causes,” said Chitral Medical Superintendent Dr Rehman Afridi during a meeting over the issue in Peshawar last week.

“There is no psychiatrist or psychologist available across the district. A multi-sectoral approach should be adopted to tackle the issue,” he added.

There were 21 suicides in 2017 due to ‘marriages [mostly female] without consent’ and the figure stood at 12 for 2018 till August.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Services Director General Dr Ayub Roze directed those attending the meeting to devise a project to provide Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services for the province.

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