Suicide is a serious and devastating issue and it is not a word which should be bandied about recklessly and without proper thought.
Unfortunately the numbers of people taking their own lives is increasing and without doubt the recession and financial struggles people face on a daily basis has added to the problem.
Suicide is always a tragedy, for the life that has ended and the people left behind, but it is also a public health issue, especially in Ireland where it is the most common cause of death among young men.
This week the Master of the High Court, Master Edmund Honohan, said home repossessions were causing untold social harm, including suicides, and he has called for the introduction of debt forgiveness for people being pursued by banks. He has been backed in his comments by the Free Legal Advice Centres which have also called for reform of the legal system which they say is not fit for purpose in the current recession.
But the Irish Banking Federation has accused Mr Honohan of using inflammatory language when he said banks and creditors were pursuing debts to the bitter end. Mr Honohan himself has dealt with the harsh reality of suicide when confronted with widows whose spouses have taken their own lives. He has also encountered people who are being sued for a debt which has already been written off by the banks and has suggested that meaningless “accountancy exercises” were causing considerable social disquiet and driving some people to suicide.
At one end of Master Honohan’s comments are those people who have actually succumbed to suicide and their devastated surviving relatives and friends. At the other end are bank workers who are now wondering if they are directly responsible for people taking their own lives. Apportioning blame does not provide us with answers to this escalating problem. People need to have someone to turn to and support structures they can rely on if suicide has become a realistic way out for them.
Whether you agree with Master Honohan or feel he is being overly harsh with his comments, at least this extremely important subject is being kept in the spotlight and the Government might be urged to take action to curb the tide of deaths by suicide.
Mr Honohan has also been supported by the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS ), although David Culloty of MABS has suggested that debt settlement may be a better approach than debt forgiveness on its own.
And while the debate continues, there still remain husbands, wives, businesspeople, and single people who are overwhelmed by their debts and are seeking a way out. The stark reality is that some can see no other option than taking their own lives and that is a major problem which must be tackled immediately.
People deal with life and its stresses in different ways. Our coping mechanisms are personal and tailored to each individual, so what seems like a crippling debt to me might not raise a hair on another person’s head. You can’t put a number on it. But people must be able to see a solution to their problems. If this means changing the law, then that must be done. The problem is there will always be an element of society who work on a more cynical level than the ordinary person, and who will try and find any loophole available to get out of paying their debts, when they can clearly afford to do so. It makes it extremely difficult to distinguish between those who genuinely cannot and those who just will not and have become experts at working the system.
That said, it’s another day’s work to combat fraud and while people’s lives are at risk and their homes being taken from them, urgent action is required.
Toni Bourke
Editor [email protected]
