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monitored data on suicides showed a strong association between poor socioeconomic
conditions and suicide. Helplessness, poverty, loss of control over
one’s life, depression and domestic violence were the most common reasons
for suicide, whereas poisoning, use of firearm, hanging, consuming large
quantities of sleeping pills and insecticide were the most common methods of
committing suicide.
The high number of suicide cases shows discontentment and dissatisfaction
amongst the general population and raises serious questions about preventive
mental healthcare provided to the people who contemplate or attempt to commit
suicide.
Drug addicts
Drug addiction needs to be fought through a sustained mass awareness
campaign. There are around 9 million drug addicts in Pakistan and the number
is decidedly on the rise. As many as two million of the addicts are aged between
15-25 years and the number of female addicts is around 200,000. Pakistan is
part of the UNODC/WHO global project on drug treatment and rehabilitation,
which is aimed at enhancing the capacity of drug treatment professionals
based on the treatment protocols. The United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) representative for Pakistan recently stated that the UN
organisation promotes policies that strike the right balance between the
reduction of drug supply, as well as demand, and also guide member states to
adopt science-based drug prevention and dependence treatment. In order to
standardize and enhance the delivery of drug treatment and rehabilitation
services, the UNODC launched a set of rules for treatment which was titled
“Treatment Protocols for Drug Use”.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Narcotics Control stated that under the
Getting heroin injected.
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State of Human Rights in 2012