The most recent suicide of the 18 year old girl M.K. who jumped from a skyscraper at midday, in one of the neighborhoods of the Kosovo capital, Prishtina, has increased the tragic ratings of a very negative phenomenon in our society.
There were twenty cases of suicide between January and early November 2016, according to the Kosovo Police
In the last week of October alone, there were 4 cases of women who committed suicide. The average age of women who committed suicide is 20-40 years old.
Sociologist Leutrim Sahiti, the director of the Institute for Sociological Research and Studies “Sociometri”, says that women commit suicide as a result of their inferior position in society and in their families.
“Women in Kosovo also face domestic violence, which often may involve murder. The lack of right to inheritance and lack of respective institutional support is yet another reason why they commit suicide,” claims Sahiti.
For sociologist Fadil Maloku, economic crisis and other demographic elements also lead people, particularly youth, towards suicide.
“We are dealing with a young generation, with a group of young people, who can fall into a depressive state in not capable of “fitting in” in these situations. Depression brings unpleasant situations that make their ambition to build and elevate their social status becomes impossible,” says Maloku.
The United Nations, using some formulas, including economic and social welfare, ranked 158 countries in its “World Happiness Report” in 2015.
Kosovo, which is ranked 77th in this list, shows that the citizen’s happiness has gone down compared to 2012-2014, when it was ranked the 66th. As a matter of fact, in 2008, when the independence was declared, Kosovo citizens were happiest they’ve been since after the war in 1999: then it was ranked 64th place.
Maloku says that this low ranking of Kosovo can be explained by the fact that after the war we have created a kind of self content that we are building a society, but later on, young generations realized that this country, this wellbeing, is not something that comes so easily.
“People are disappointed, and disappointment automatically lowers our rating. The economic conditions of Kosovo after ’99 war are indeed a key factor in creating parameters for a normal life”.
Avni Islami, a university professor teaching security issues, shares this view.
According to him, the particular category of former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters, had committed suicide due to traumas suffered during the war. Another category, that of family heads, commits suicide due to dire economic situations.
Since the end of the war, there were around 800 suicides and around 2,757 suicide attempts, according to the Kosovo Police.
Doruntina Stojkaj
