The Increasing Rates of Suicide among Migrants and Asylum Seekers

Ship picking up migrants from a small boat

World Suicide Prevention Day is on 10th September 2023 and the theme for this year is: ‘Creating Hope Through Action’. This blog will examine the increasingly troubling area of suicide among migrants and asylum seekers and the reasons behind it. This will be followed by our next blog which will look at the action being taken to help prevent this worrying trend.

Trying to explore the issue of suicide among the migrant and asylum seeker community is difficult because it is a provocative subject. There are a wide variety of views on migrants and asylum seekers. People disagree on a range of issues including whether or not we should allow them to enter the country in the first place. There are also a number of opinions on the help they should be offered when they arrive here.

No matter what view an individual holds, most would agree that we are all responsible for raising awareness of suicide and suicide prevention. Suicides among migrants and asylum seekers can occur because they have a number of medical and personal needs that are not being met. Those who attempt to take their lives may have been dealing with complex issues such as displacement, depression or addiction. The shocking reality is that people with nowhere to go may, as a last resort and out of desperation, start to consider taking their own lives.

It is no secret that the majority of those who lose their lives to suicide are men and an alarming number of them are asylum seekers and migrants. It is an increasing problem across the UK and Ireland and has extended far wider to become a global crisis.

One of the main reasons why suicide among this group is rising is the difficulty in accessing support in areas such as mental health and addiction. There is also an added problem – the ever-present threat of deportation. This can put immense pressure on an already vulnerable individual.

An article by InfoMigrants in 2022 which was reported by Medical Justice highlighted that the UK threat to send asylum seekers to Rwanda led to an increased risk of suicide. When interviewed, 11 out of 36 asylum seekers revealed they had experienced suicidal ideation or had carried out a suicide attempt. This is a shocking statistic and is a stark reminder that more must be done to assist people who have already faced immense trauma and loss in their lives.

We will examine some of the support available for those affected by suicide in our next blog.