Friday 31 July 2015

Suicides of Men in India, untold facts and figures.

Recently NCRB released the data of Suicides in 2014.


‘Other Family Problems’ and ‘Illness’ were the major causes of suicides among the specified causes, accounting for 21.7% and 18.0% respectively of total suicides. ‘Marriage Related Issues’ (5.1%), ‘Love Affairs’ (3.2%), ‘Drug Abuse/Addiction’ (2.8%), ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’ and ‘Failure in Examination’ both accounted for 1.8% each, ‘Unemployment’ (1.7%), ‘Poverty’ (1.3%), ‘Property Dispute’ (0.8%), ‘Death of Dear Person’ (0.7%) were other causes of suicides given in Table–2.4

But when we study the data more carefully it shows us a picture of our country which is very dreadful, where man is finding difficult to survive and opting for suicide.

Times of India wrote about it

·         The data show, overall 66% of all suicides were committed by married people.
·         In 18-30 year age group, 60% of victims were men. In 30-45 years age group, about 72% victims were men, while in 45-60 years age group, men accounted for almost 80% of the victims. 


Let us analyze the data more deeply, below are the reasons for suicide in our country.

 Below table data is copied from-

Table 2(E) Age and Gender wise distribution of Suicides during 2014 (Cause wise)

CAUSE
MALE
FEMALE
TOTAL
MALE%
FEMALE%
Bankruptcy or
Indebtedness
2098
210
2308
90.9
9.0
Marriage Related Issues
2362
4411
6773
34.8
65.1
Love Affairs
2441
1727
4168
58.5
41.44
Other Family problems
18623
9977
28600
65.1
34.8
Poverty
1419
280
1699
83.5
16.4
Unemployment
1965
242
2207
89.0
10.9
Professional/Career
Problem
792
111
903
87.7
12.2
Causes Not Known
11308
4955
16263
69.5
30.4
Insanity/Mental Illness
4761
2341
7102
67.0
32.9
Other Prolonged Illness
10425
4992
15417
67.6
32.3






Total of all causes
89129
42521
131650
67.7
32.2

The table shows man suicide more in every cause except one. If we leave “marriage related issues” to be discussed later we will find all the issues only effecting man. Bankruptcy, Poverty, Unemployment and Professional/Career problem, these all problems are mostly for man. This is why around 85-90% victims are men.
Mental Illness and prolonged disease is a cause for the suicide for men in almost double then women.
There is huge number 11308 in which causes of death for men were not known whereas this cause has just 4992 cases of women. Due to Section 304B IPC every death of women is perceived as dowry death if happens within 7 years of marriage, whereas there is no such sections in IPC for man. So in case of women, cause is considered known that’s why less number of cases of women in this cause.

Very disturbing is 18623 man committing suicide due to “other family problems”. We will discuss it later what are these other problems.

First let us come to the “Marriage related Issues” of suicide, it is divided into five types as below-

Below table data is copied from -

Table 2.4 Distribution of Suicides by Causes – 2014 (All India)

CAUSE
MALE
FEMALE
TOTAL
MALE%
FEMALE%
Marriage Related Issues (Total)
2362
4411
6773
34.8
65.1






(i) Non Settlement of Marriage
490
606
1096
44.7
55.2
(ii) Dowry Related Issues
39
2222
2261
1.7
98.2
(iii) Extra Marital affairs
227
249
476
47.6
52.3
(iv) Divorce
150
183
333
45.0
54.9
(v) Others
1456
1151
2607
55.8
44.1

Except the second cause of “dowry related issues” every cause in this has almost equal number of cases for men suicide. The high number of cases for women in this cause is because every death of women is first considered as dowry death and reported under the section 304B of IPC also called dowry death. Section 304B IPC has 94% charge sheeting rate, 3 persons per case arresting and still 32.3% conviction rate according to the data of NCRB published in 2013.

Now let us analyze what those figures of 18623 suicides of married man under the cause “other family problems” correlates to.  If we see the data of cases of those accused in cases of IPC 304B, 498a IPC and domestic violence we will find a correlation of these suicides. We will find #498a accusation correlates to suicides of married men. 
These links will give more details –

#Husband suicide
Martyrs of Marriage
Scrap 498a

But due to lack of maintenance of data for the cause of death of married men, this remains unexplored. Most of the suicides of men are termed as family problems and no punishment is given to those who provoked a man to suicide, where it is a crime under section 498a IPC against a women. According to this law any wilful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely to drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave injury or danger to life, limb or health (whether mental or physical) of the woman is a crime but there is no such clause for men. A false case (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23fakecases&src=typdaccusation ) accusation is also driving a man to suicide but there is no law to protect men. Neither there is a law for helping a men who is a victim of domestic violence nor there is any men’s commission who take cares of rights of men.

Helpless men so finding no other options left then to suicide because once accused in criminal case like 498a IPC means the life is gone because it will take 12-15 years to complete the trial in those.

(Views are personal)

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