CAIRO: MP Gamal Zahran is calling on the government to look into the rising suicide rates over the past four years, most of which were linked to socioeconomic problems. According to Zahran, there have been 12,000 reported cases of suicide from 2005-2008 among unemployed youth. Zahran filed an interpellation request for Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif as well as the Ministers of Trade, Investment, Manpower and Administrative Development. In his request, Zahran said that there were 1,160 reported cases of suicide in 2005, which rose incrementally to 2,355 in 2006; then to 3,700 in 2007 and totaled 12,000 in 2008. According to media reports, the Ministry of Interior recorded 3,000 cases of suicide in the past year alone, most which were people under the age of 40 who were unemployed or could not get married for financial reasons. Mansour Maghawry, a sociologist and head of the rural and desert communities department at the National Center for Social and Criminological Research, said that while the number of suicides should not be linked to unemployment specifically, it was a contributing factor. "The reason for suicide dies with the person, sad Maghawry, "Maybe they were employed but could not cover the family's expenses; or any other reason, so we can't say that someone committed suicide because of unemployment, he told Daily News Egypt. "Society is moving toward a more materialistic lifestyle, which increases financial demands on individuals, he added, "some who cannot adapt to these [changes] may resort to suicide. From a religious perspective, committing suicide is forbidden in both Islam and Christianity. "In order for people to be more religiously conscious, their basic needs must be met, which is not the case in most suicide cases, he said. Maghawry pointed to some of the financial burdens faced by the average citizen, including high real estate prices, the sheer cost of marriage, education - namely private tutoring - and healthcare. "This phenomenon occurs in developing societies; the whole of society is responsible for it and must cooperate to solve it, he said. "The private sector must recognize the social dimension by providing more job opportunities and offering services at affordable prices. One psychologist however, claimed that these numbers are inaccurate. "Committing suicide is an international phenomenon, but it [doesn't happen] to that extent in Egypt, Nasser Loza, mental health undersecretary at the health ministry, said. "There are other factors besides unemployment such as drug addiction, being single and physical disabilities, that create stress and may lead a person to commit suicide, Aref Khoweiled, head of hospitals administration at the public mental health secretariat, told Daily News Egypt. "We need to help guide those suffering from depression because of unemployment on how to face the problem by giving them alternatives, he said, "and making them understand that they may not find their dream job and should accept available opportunities. Reports show that setting oneself on fire with kerosene and jumping from high buildings are the most reported suicide methods. Zahran accused the government of rigging unemployment statistics, citing official figures that put the rate at less than 9 percent while the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) says it is at 12 percent. Meanwhile, the World Bank said that the rate is at 22 percent and the Arab Labor Organization put it at 23 percent. He said the government is failing to "solve the problem "as well as favoring graduates from "foreign schools and universities. "Government figures exclude the 3.6 million people who have temporary, one-day jobs even though they must be considered unemployed. International organizations also refer to official government figures so they are deceiving, Ahmed El-Nagger, an economist at Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, told Daily News Egypt. According to El-Naggar, unemployment numbers are more than four times the official number and are expected to reach 30 percent. The Minister of Economic Development recently said that job opportunities decreased in the second quarter of the fiscal year, falling to 159,000 jobs compared to 181,000 last year. "Amid the financial crisis, unemployment is expected to increase due to the decline in tourism and real estate sectors which are the main suppliers of the economy, El-Naggar said "Many Egyptians working in Gulf countries will return to Egypt without jobs because of the crisis and the decline in oil prices which led to job cuts and decreasing salaries, he added. "The state's public budget depends on investment expenditure which only creates temporary jobs; while the government must create real jobs by establishing factories and bolstering the agricultural sector, he said.
