Leading Efforts to Reduce Suicide Rates
Noted as a Community Cooperation Model
Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province (Governor Seo Tae-won) announced on the 13th that it was selected as an excellent local government in the ‘6th National Assembly Suicide Prevention Awards 2024’.
The National Assembly Suicide Prevention Awards are given annually to outstanding local governments that have made efforts to protect the lives of citizens amid the reality where about 13,000 people end their lives by suicide each year. This award is hosted by the National Assembly Suicide Prevention Forum, a research group of National Assembly members, and jointly organized by the Citizens' Coalition for Safety and Life Insurance Social Contribution Committee.
Since 2019, the National Assembly Suicide Prevention Forum has conducted evaluations of suicide prevention activities targeting 229 basic local governments nationwide every year. This year, the basic local governments across the country were divided into four groups and evaluated based on five areas?organization, budget, personnel, projects, and suicide rate?using 17 detailed indicators. Gapyeong-gun recorded a comprehensive score of 85.6 points, significantly surpassing the average score of the same group (58.7 points), and received excellent evaluations across organization, personnel, budget, projects, and suicide rate.
Governor Seo Tae-won stated, “In a situation where mental difficulties and suicide damage are increasing due to the economic downturn following COVID-19, Gapyeong-gun will actively strive to promote the mental health of local residents and prevent suicide through cooperation between the government and the private sector.”
The Gapyeong-gun Mental Health Welfare Center (affiliated Suicide Prevention Center) is promoting various projects in cooperation with related local organizations and groups, including customized suicide prevention projects for high-risk groups, suicide prevention projects by life cycle, operation of Life-Loving Villages to establish a suicide prevention safety net, and Life-Loving Practice Stores and Practice Pharmacies projects to block access to suicide tools.
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