In November last year, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry released statistics that were alarming. From the time the country went under the first Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18 till then, there were almost 2,000 complaints of domestic abuse to the ministry's Talian Nur hotline. Those were just the complaints that the ministry received.
Domestic abuse cases in this era of the pandemic have risen dramatically studies have found. It is so bad that it is being called a pandemic within a pandemic.
The rise in domestic abuse is certainly a sign of the tremendous amount of stress we are all under. We are pummelled by daily infection numbers that run in the thousands, we have had our movements restricted, we face trepidation every time we go out to run even the most basic of errands, we worry about loved ones and, for the majority, we have suffered loss of income and jobs.
This stress has led to even more alarming statistics. It was recently learnt that between 2019 and May this year, Malaysia saw an average of two suicides a day.
The amount of mental stress we are facing during this pandemic is put into better perspective when we consider another set of statistics revealed a little while back. In the first three months of the year, there were 336 suicides, working out to almost four a day.
For the whole of last year, there were 631 suicides, meaning that the first quarter of 2021 had already reached half that number.
Our frontliners must feel the mounting stress. In the case of medical workers, the constant workload and fear of contracting Covid-19 or infecting others weigh heavily on their minds. The same goes for our security forces.
Despite the majority, if not all, of these frontliners having already been vaccinated, the fear will never disappear, the stress will never dissipate. Laudably, the Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has suggested that suicide prevention be a part of any plan for the MCO moving forward.
Reported figures, the association says, may merely be the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, there could have been more, considering the number of unsuccessful attempts. Of the 145,000 or so calls to government agency helplines, according to CAP, 85 per cent were related to mental health issues.
Mental health is as vital during the pandemic as physical health. We cannot ignore it. Suicide prevention and mental health measures should be integral to planning any MCO, Enhanced MCO and the National Recovery Plan, if they are not already.
Malaysians can also play their part. As Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had suggested, we should be aware of the people around us, whether they are family members, relatives, neighbours or friends. Should they show signs of mental health issues or stress, we should help them in any way possible, or speak to someone about it.
It is not about being nosy or its Malay equivalent, "jaga tepi kain orang". It is about caring and looking out for one another. It is about getting through this pandemic together.