DUSHANBE, November 21, 2008, Asia-Plus -- The Prosecutor-General’s Office considers that restoration of a system of registration of problem families could promote reduction of the number of suicide cases in the country. 

The source at the chief prosecutor’s office, who did not want to be named, said that 450 suicide cases had been reported n the country over the first nine months of this year, which is 15 cases more than in the same period of last year.

The majority of suicide cases have been registered in the Sughd province – 177 cases against 157 registered in January-September 2007.

Over the report period, 97 suicide cases have been reported in the Khatlon province, which is twelve cases more than in the same period of last year. 

In Dushanbe, 72 suicide cases have been registered over the same nine-month period, which nine cases more than in the same period of 2007. 

In January-September 2008, 29 suicide cases have been registered in districts subordinate to the center (RRPs), with 22 cases having been registered in the Roudaki district alone.  Over the same period of last year, 27 suicide cases had been registered in RRPs.

Of 450 self-murderers registered this year, 240 were women (222 in 2008) and 74 were minors (87 in 2007).

“Of those 450 self-murderers, 214 have committed suicide by self-hanging, 132 by poisoning, 31 by self-immolation, 9 by self-drowning and 32 others have committed suicide in other ways,” the source said, noting that 30 criminal proceedings have been instituted this year on charge of driving to suicide.