Over 5,000 Posts... Mainly Targeting Women
Bereaved Families Say "It's Just a Very Dangerous and Unpleasant Place"
It is reported that around 700 people gathered on a website in the UK to find partners for extreme choices together.
On the 22nd (local time), BBC reported this, stating that the site has a members-only section where users can find partners to make extreme choices together.
BBC explained, "There were more than 5,000 posts on this website introducing various detailed methods of making extreme choices," adding, "Members posted their age, gender, location, and preferred methods to find someone to die with them."
It was further noted that about 130 British people may have taken their own lives using chemicals promoted by this site.
BBC reported, "In particular, such crimes are mainly committed against women."
A woman named Helen Kite said, "Only unspeakable misfortune and pain remain for those left behind." Her younger sister Linda also met a man through this site and left the world together at a hotel in Romford, London.
In the same year, Helen’s other younger sister, Sarah, is also known to have made an extreme choice in the same way by finding a partner due to the shock of Linda’s death.
A woman named Angela Stevens lost her son in December 2019. Her son passed away together with a woman he met on social networking services (SNS) at an Airbnb rental.
Since then, Angela has been working hard to block websites that encourage extreme choices, saying, "Such websites are very dangerous and unpleasant places."
The UK government is also recognizing the seriousness of the issue and is taking measures. The UK Conservative Party proposed the Online Safety Bill last year, allowing the country’s broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, to take action against such websites. The bill is expected to be implemented next year.
However, BBC pointed out that there are many practical difficulties in regulating such websites. The site administrator said, "Because the website is small in scale and based in the United States, it will be difficult to be regulated by UK authorities."
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