Shania Shayal Prasad 
[file photo]
Fiji has lost 489 lives to suicide and recorded 446 attempted cases in just five years.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran revealed the figures at the 21st anniversary of the Psychiatric Survivors Association.
She said urgent reforms was needed to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support before more lives are lost.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi [Source: Ministry of Women / Facebook]
Kiran warned that many young people are falling into substance abuse as they battle personal struggles.
She urged parents and families to pay closer attention, stressing that early intervention can save lives.
[file photo]
She commended the Psychiatric Survivors Association for two decades of advocacy and its new programs targeting HIV/AIDS prevention, education, care, and drug use among people with psychosocial disabilities.
Since its founding in 2004, the association has fought stigma, defended rights, and built safe spaces for survivors. Its latest milestone was marked under the theme “21 Years of Advocacy, Empowerment, and Change: Dignity and Rights for Persons with Psychosocial Disabilities in Fiji.”
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