Pressure to decriminalise suicide in four Caribbean nations is mounting as a new coalition has come together for the first time to fight for the repeal of colonial-era laws.
A group of people with experience of poor mental health, government officials, activists, legal experts and healthcare workers, led by organisations in the Caribbean, will advocate for legislative reform. They want to reduce barriers for people seeking help and ensure that mental health services can operate without fear of legal repercussions and ultimately save lives.
Suicide is illegal in St Lucia, Grenada, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago, and attempted suicide is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine. The laws were introduced by the British during colonial rule. Suicide was decriminalised in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the 1960s – it has never been a crime under Scottish law.
Although the laws are rarely enforced in the Caribbean and many people don’t know they exist, there have been reports of arrests. The laws continue to be used to threaten people, according to coalition member Desarie Nicholas, a social worker and the founder of Caricope Wellness Alliance, an organisation that offers mental health support to Caribbean people.
“I had a client who was getting out of psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt and she was told, ‘You have to keep checking in with us every month because if you don’t, you know we can send you to jail’,” said Nicholas. “How does that help them feel nurtured and safe and willing to really be honest about how they feel? This law informs everything we do and the way we think about things.”
The move to repeal laws in the Caribbean comes at a time when several countries, including Guyana, Pakistan, Ghana and Malaysia, have got rid of similar colonial-era laws criminalising suicide.
It follows the Bridgetown Declaration, adopted at the Small Island Developing States ministerial conference on non-communicable diseases and mental health last year, where members committed to decriminalise suicide.
Dr Timothy Morgan, director of the mental health unit at the Ministry of Health in Guyana, where in 2022 the suicide prevention bill repealed the law that made suicide a criminal offence and replaced it with a national suicide prevention plan, said: “Even though it is uncommon for those attempting suicide to be charged or imprisoned in Guyana, the previous law only added another layer of legal complexity to those experiencing emotional distress from contemplating suicide and needing mental healthcare.”