A 33 Indians commit suicide in UAE this year

Dubai -  About 33 Indians committed suicide in Dubai and the northern emirates this year.

Despite the large number of Indian expatriates living here, social network amongst the community members is failing to identify warning signs and curb suicides, the Indian Consul General said.

 "While it is wonderful to get together for festivals and other occasions, we should also be able to spot when our family members and friends are in distress. But this is not happening," Gulf News quoted Sanjay Verma, Indian Consul General, as saying.

Although not every suicide can be prevented, a majority can be, he said.

He also called on the media to report suicides responsibly, as research shows that media reports have an impact on the number of suicides taking place.

 Of the 33 suicides this year, 31 were male, and 2 female.

The highest number of victims hailed from the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

 ''The gender of the victims and the states in India from where they hailed are in sync with the demographic make-up of the Indian community here," he said.

''There are cases involving workers, but majority are from lower middle class and middle class families,'' Verma added.