Rossy Foundation Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, has donated food items, toiletries among others to the Senior Correctional Centre in Accra.
The items are to assist the inmates to undergo their reformation with ease.
Presenting the items, the Country Director of Rossy Foundation Ghana, Pastor Richard Essel, acknowledging the increasing rate of suicides in the country, advised the general public to feel free to discuss their fears with the right people such us counsellors, counselling psychologists, clinical psychologists, advisors at the palaces, churches and mosques for assistance.
He lamented that addiction has taken the centre stage of the lives of today’s youth where majority of them are into betting and lottery.
Nowadays, no one wants to wait for the process! Everyone wants quick money. Apart from addiction from betting, more people are into sexual addiction so HIV/AIDS is on the increase,” he cried.
Unfortunately some leaders, including church leaders and men of God speak as if things must happen overnight pushing many to rush into ventures that will not allow them to go through the process. And the youth have found themselves in nefarious activities just to make quick money. We hear people killing to make money and some getting into fraudulent activities including internet fraud and today those who are caught by the law are behind the bars. Remember, not all people can withstand some amount of pressure and this pushes people to take their own life,” he stressed.
Pastor Essel is of the view that, the killing of innocent people, fraudulent activities, severe depression, over anxiety and fake life will end if those involved in these negative acts can go through counselling.
I think parents must be the best friends of their children so that challenges can easily be discussed. Parents must monitor their children to know which Internet sites they visit and what do they do with their time. Some children do receive advice from their friends so before their parents will get to know it will be too late,” he cautioned.
In Ghana, about 1,500 suicide cases are reported annually, and in each reported case of suicide are four unreported cases, summing the number of unreported cases to almost 6,000 yearly (Daily Graphic (2015).
A report from WHO revealed that in 2019, 77% of global suicide occurred in low-and middle-income countries.
According to the report, every year 703, 000 people take their own life and there are many others who attempt suicide.
Suicide is a serious public health problem; however, suicides are preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions.