New Delhi: India accounted the highest number of suicides in the world in the year 2012. This report was published by WHO in 2014, and the deaths occurred between the age of 15 years and 29 years.
With an aim to fight the issue, Facebook has launched a suicide prevention tool which will support people struggling with self-injury or experiencing suicidal thoughts.
The tools were first made available to some of the user in the United States last year with the help of Forefront, Lifeline, and Save.org. And now the tool is being rolled out in India.
The Facebook suicide prevention tool has partnered with AASRA and Deepika Padukone’s The Live Love Laugh Foundation. The help guide will be available in different languages including Hindi, English, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Sinhalese, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu and Marathi.
To find the tool on Facebook, users will have to type ‘Suicide’ in the search bar on top and the ‘Facebook Help: Suicide’ page will show in the drop-down. The page will guide one with different help options and provide with a suicide hotline number, in case of any emergency. It will have a list of resources, including numbers for suicide prevention organizations, which can be shared anonymously, or a message of support can be sent (Facebook suggests wording).
The purpose is to help oneself or a friend who shows signs of self-harm or distress. One can reach out to someone directly or can report to Facebook. Also the Self-injury reports will be prioritized and immediate help will be sent to the person.
