Abstract
Deaths by suicide in Bangladesh have an atypical sex ratio, with higher rates in females than in males—a characteristic shared with several countries in Southern Asia. Reasons for this are explored in this paper. An examination of the social structure of Bangladesh suggests that girls and women are subjected to higher rates of sexual and physical violence compared with males, especially in rural and urban slum areas. This violence is often linked to the enforced marriage of young girls to older men. A systematic review of 24 studies on suicide and suicidal behaviors in Bangladesh has shown that suicide death rates are exceptionally high in younger women, at a rate of about 20 per 100,000, more than twice the rate in males aged less than 49. In girls aged 15 to 17, the estimated suicide rate is 14 per 100,000, 50% higher than in males. Because of problems in obtaining systematic data on deaths by suicide, these rates are likely to be underestimates. Extreme poverty and lack of education have been recorded as factors in deaths by suicide, although there are methodological problems in reaching such conclusions. We speculate that some of the “suicides” (especially those using poison) may in fact be cases of murder. A dowry system (not sanctioned by Islam) is thought to be a major cause of family poverty, and violence experienced by young girls. In proposing solutions, we argue the case (as Muslims) for the support of an Islamic feminism which urges better support for girls growing up in extreme poverty.
Highlights
Why Are Suicide Death Rates in Bangladeshi Females So High, Compared with Those in Males?The World Health Organization, in issuing periodic information on completed suicide (WHO 2014, 2017), offers a warning to those who try and interpret the data presented on 183 world nations.The quality of the information on suicide rates is not guaranteed by the WHO
Suicide is one of the major causes of death in young adult females in Bangladesh (Mashreky et al 2013); a well-conducted epidemiological study, such as that by Mashreky and colleagues, does lead us to conclude that the actual rate of deaths by suicide is much higher than that published in the WHO (2017) overview
The main findings from this overview suggest that girls and young women (who often enter marriage prior to age 18 (Islam et al 2016)) aged 15–29 years, in rural and urban slum areas of Bangladesh are at risk for suicide, compared with males of similar age
Summary
The World Health Organization, in issuing periodic information on completed suicide (WHO 2014, 2017), offers a warning to those who try and interpret the data presented on 183 world nations. As Jordans et al (2014) conclude from their scoping review of suicide in South Asia, rates are high compared with the rest of the world, but methods of case-recording are underdeveloped This bias in statistical reporting most likely means that deaths by suicide are undercounted in developing countries. There have been, a number of specific studies which have estimated suicide rates in regions, or in special populations in Bangladesh, published during the past three decades, allowing us to offer estimates of rates of death by suicide (Shahnaz et al 2017)
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