In Focus Armed Violence Monitor: World Suicide Prevention Day, Firearm-related Suicides Are Strongly Gendered
On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day, marked on 10 September, SEESAC publishes its In Focus Armed Violence Monitor and brings to attention this major public health issue that impacts people worldwide. By focusing on the firearm-related suicides in South East Europe in 2021, with a comparative overview of 2020, SEESAC points out that firearms, ammunition, and explosives are one of the most lethal means in attempting suicide.
According to the Armed Violence Monitor, data for 2021 show that 45 firearm-related suicides were reported in South East Europe, accounting for one-fourth of all firearm deaths recorded last year. Compared to 2020, the number of reported firearm-related suicides dropped by a third, which may suggest that firearm-related suicides are under-reported.
As observed in previous years, firearm-related suicides are strongly gendered, with men being far more likely than women to die by suicide. In 2021, 44 men accounted for 98% and one woman for 2% of all victims of firearms-related suicides.
Firearm-related suicides are age-related, too, with men in the 36-60 age group being the predominant victims.
Seventeen cases of murder suicides were reported in 2021, of which twelve were committed in the context of domestic violence involving intimate partners and other family members. Perpetrators of such incidents were all men.
When the type of weapon was indicated, handguns were used in nearly half of reported suicides, closely followed by rifles or shotguns. In the majority of cases, the weapons were in illegal possession. The weapons in legal possession were mainly handguns and rifles or shotguns.
In 2021, firearm-related suicides were almost twice more frequent in urban than in rural areas, following the persisting trend from 2020.
Suicides are preventable through various interventions and a comprehensive approach, with firearm control playing an important role in it.
To learn more details on the reported incidents, download the report here.
More data on firearms incidents in South East Europe is available on the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform.
About the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP)
The Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP) has been established by SEESAC with EU funding within the framework of EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2016/2356 and is currently supported through EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2111, in support of SEESAC disarmament and arms control activities in South-East Europe. It captures data on firearm-related incidents happening in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo1 and the Republic of Moldova with the purpose of making essential data available to all interested parties working on small arms and light weapons control.
The data is gathered daily from the relevant authorities' official websites, as well as print and online media. The collected data range from the type of incident, firearms used, age and gender of the victim and the perpetrator, outcome of the incident, etc. Basic data analysis is also provided for various data sets aiming to discover trends related to the incidents.