KUALA LUMPUR: The Mental Health Advisory Council has urged the government to repeal Section 309 of the Penal Code.
The legal provision involves attempted suicide, a crime which is punishable by up to a year in jail, a fine or both.
Council member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) should expedite the study of proposals that had been put forward by the relevant ministry to repeal the provision.
He said the provision in the Penal Code was archaic and needed to be repealed.
"The rationale for the preservation of this antiquated law inherited from the British (era) is that its removal may encourage more suicide attempts. Yet to date, there are no data or case-reports that indicate decriminalisation increases suicides.
"In fact, suicide rates tend to decline in countries after decriminalisation. When suicide is considered a criminal act, suicide attempts are often hidden and suicide deaths are unreported, thus giving the false impression that suicidal behaviours are less prevalent.
"It is imperative that the government and relevant authorities in this country pay heed to the urgent call by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to all member countries to review their legal provisions in relation to suicide and work towards decriminalising (attempted) suicides," he said in a statement, today.
He said the World Suicide Report released by WHO has followed the adoption of the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 by the World Health Assembly, which sees commitment of all 194 member states in reducing their suicide rates by 10 per cent by 2020.
Lee also said the report concerns the legal status of suicide and its effects on suicide prevention in these member states.
Of the 192 independent countries and states investigated, he added 25 including Malaysia have specific laws and punishments for attempted suicide, he said.
"Death in a family, whether by suicide or other ways, usually leaves a trail of upheaval in its wake, affecting family members, close friends and even social communities to varying extents.
"Suicide by its unique nature, further exacerbates the emotional turmoil of all those affected. Those who have the ideation of suicides should be counselled and treated instead of being punished," he said.
Citing Befrienders Kuala Lumpur, Lee said the non-profit organisation has seen an increase in the number of cases or contacts received over the past few years.
He said the number of contacts almost doubled in a duration of six years between 2014 and 2019 with the total number of contacts totalling 36,154 as of last year.
"Almost one third of the contacts last year were from those aged between 15 to 29 years old. This number correlates with suicide being the second leading cause of death among the age group of 15 to 29, as stated by WHO.
"An increasing number of the callers talked about challenges related to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Almost a quarter of them were facing this issue last year and the other two main issues were relationship as well as family problems," Lee said, adding that 34 per cent of the distress callers had thoughts about ending their lives.
The percentage of suicidal callers in the last six years, ranges between 25 per cent and 34 per cent which shows the importance and needs of suicide prevention efforts,he said.
Lee said family members of the victim should play an important role in providing moral and emotional support to the victim to prevent from suicide attempt.