Srinagar, September 12: The speakers and experts during a seminar on "who is responsible for suicidal tendencies in the young women" were of the opinion that the suicides are related to society and people have to play a collective and crucial role in curbing the menace of suicides.

The seminar on, "who is responsible for suicidal tendencies in the young women" was organized by Shama Foundation, a women concern at Gandhi Bhavan auditorium hall in Kashmir University. The vice chancellor, Kashmir University, Prof Wahid Qureshi presided over the seminar. All the four executive members of Shama Foundation, Dr Aijaz Sheikh - renowned cancer specialist, Hameed Naseem Rafiabadi - Director SH Institute of Islamic Centre, Ghulam Mohammad Dug and Ghulam Nabi Shaida were present during the seminar.

Several female students of colleges and different departments of University participated in the seminar and aired their views.

Nowhseen Mushtaq of Department of Education said that owing to emotional stress an individual resorts to suicide. "There are numerous complex causes for committing suicide and one among them is incoherence between the thought of individual and the outside world", she said, adding, "Balance of society has been lost and this is why more cases of suicides are taking place".

Ambreen Yousuf of Department of Education said that suicides are a social cause of concern and the society has to play a key role in checking this menace. "From the time of birth a woman is being ignored and this plays on her psyche and some time later she finds an answer to this treatment by ending her life".

Miss Tasleem of MBA Department said that life is the best gift from the creator and it is precious. She said that women commit suicides because of host of reasons which include mental problems, depression, lack of guidance, sexual harassment, economic unstability, poverty, jealousy and failure in life.

Gazal Hassan said Allah has created men and women as equal but in this materialistic world, women are not being given their due. "Men and women should be given same status and instead of harassing her, the men should help them in their work. They should not be made to look alien in their own places and should be looked after carefully. There should be no bias against the females in the society and if there is no bias the suicide rate among women would come down", she said.

Miss Shadab said that the women are being ill treated by men. "A woman has become a piece for decoration and if she resists, she is ill-treated. This ill-treatment being meted out with womenfolk should be done away with and they should be given due respect and treated at par with men", she said, adding, "The women are essential component of society and they need to be shown respect by the society".

In her expert remarks, Dr Aneesa Shafi HOD sociology said, "Suicide is a social problems and the society needs to analyse factors responsible for it to prevent recurrence of suicides. Every society has natural tendency of suicides but owing to act of desperation more women in Kashmir are resorting to suicides".

She termed growing suicides as a result of acute emotional strain created by the external environment. "To overcome the suicides among women, a close relationship has to be maintained between society and individual", she said, adding, "We hardly socialize our children".

The women has got her own identity, but, according to Dr Aneesa, "In our society, we limit them. We don't allow women to develop their own identity. She is not being allowed to take major decisions of her live".

Giving a word of advise to women, she asked them, "don't keep in your mind that you are a weaker gender".

Prof Bashir Ahmad Nehvi, Director Iqbal Institute Kashmir, said, "man has forced women to commit suicides."

He blamed the westernization and modernism as the major factors responsible for the suicides among the young women. "We are propagating Western culture, in which the females of higher class of society don't follow the ethics. They force the poor girls to imitate them and later it results in suicide among the women of the middle and lower middle class society".

Prof Nehvi said that the society should rise and launch an agitation against the aping of Western culture by our society so that that society gets rid of all the bad things that have been inherited from the Western culture.

Dr Nisar Ahmad Trali, physician and social worker gave some revealing figures about the suicides in Kashmir. He said that in most of the suicides, the women consumed the insecticides that was readily available to them. "In most of the suicide cases from Baramulla and Shopian, the victims had consumed the insecticide that was easily available in their homes", he said, adding, "The society has a moral responsibility to play an important and pro-active role in curbing the menace of suicides. The society has to act now".

Renowned psychiatrist, Dr Mushtaq Margoob said that after 1995 the suicides in Kashmir witnessed an increase. "The women have emotional tendencies on higher side and this may be one of the reason for them committing suicide", he said.

He, however, said that men commit more suicides in Kashmir than women. "It is not a true that women commit more suicides. The fact is that men commit more suicides".

The menace of suicides cannot be controlled by an individual. "The whole society has to rise to the occasion and play a crucial and important role in checking this growing menace jointly. The society has to join hands to fight against suicides and arrest this trend", he added.

In his concluding remarks, Prof Wahid Qureshi, Vice Chancellor Kashmir Unvierstiy said, "Committing of suicide by women is a grave concern for society and this needs our immediate attention. Life is precious and we have to save it through all means".

Prof Wahid said that there several factors were responsible for the rise in suicides in Kashmir. "We are passing through a transitional phase", he said.

He, however, sounded optimistic and said that society as a whole have to make collective efforts to save the precious lives and check the menace of suicides.

The best speaker prize was jointly shared by Miss Taslim and Miss Gazala Hassan. The second best speaker prize was given to Miss Rafiq Farooq while Mis Nausheen bagged the third prize. The consolation prize was given to Miss Batool.

On the occasion, the Shama Foundation announced three scholarships for meritorious girl students for Mphil courses. The students who have been given the scholarships include Miss Zahida, Sakina Bano and Qurat-ul-Ain. (KPS)

 

Posted on 12 Sep 2007 by Webmaster