By: Dawda Baldeh
Hon. Modou Lamin B. Bah, the National Assembly Member for Banjul North Constituency, has called for urgent and decisive action to address the growing trend of suicide in The Gambia. A staunch advocate for social justice, Bah described the surge in suicides as a national tragedy requiring immediate attention from all sectors of society. He proposed the establishment of a national suicide prevention strategy, one that is rooted in compassion, informed by data, and driven by concrete actions.
“We need to amend laws that criminalize suicide in The Gambia to allow individuals to seek help without the fear of punishment or imprisonment,” Bah said. His remarks come in the wake of three recently reported cases of suicide this week. “We can no longer remain silent. In just one week, The Gambia has witnessed three suspected suicides. These are not mere statistics or headlines; they represent human lives lost, families torn apart, and communities left in grief and confusion,” he emphasized.
The opposition lawmaker from Banjul North further explained, “Over the years, I’ve had the privilege and the painful experience of listening to countless stories from individuals grappling with invisible wounds.” Hon. Bah argued that many in the country suffer in silence, trapped between cultural and legal stigmas, spiritual shame, and a lack of professional support. “In a society where ‘being strong’ often means suppressing pain, far too many are buckling under the weight of that silence. These three tragic incidents are not isolated,” he said.
Bah pointed out that the alarming rise in suicides is indicative of how severely underfunded and neglected mental health services are in The Gambia. “For every suicide reported, many others go unspoken. And for each life lost, countless more are suffering quietly—hoping that someone will notice, will care, and will offer help,” he concluded.
