Minister urges action to prevent suicides

Santo Domingo.- In the first half of this year 298 people committed suicide in theDominican Republic, representing an increase of 29.3% compared with 2012 when 156 endedtheir lives during the same period, according to reports from the Citizen SafetyWatchdog.

Interiorand Police Minister José Ramón Fadul described the situation as alarming andsaid that "it could increase in the second half of the year, when more people attemptsuicide."

Fadul saidthat 639 people committed suicide in 2011 and 641 in 2012, which in hisjudgment should lead the Government to turn its attention to the causes behind thisbehavior in Dominican society.

“Thesecurity policy that we are implementing should also deal with the causes, notjust of crime but of social co-existence, the lack of opportunities, ofeducation and other elements linked to integration,” said Fadul.