Suicide Decriminalisation advocacy toolbox
Ready to turn advocacy into action?
Around the world, advocates are working to change laws that punish people for attempting suicide. But knowing that a law needs to change is only the beginning. How do you change a law? What do you say to a Minister? How do you get the media interested? And what happens after the law changes?
The Suicide Decriminalisation Advocacy Toolbox is here to help
The toolbox brings together practical, ready-to-use resources to help advocates move suicide decriminalisation from conversation to action. Whether you’re preparing for a meeting with a Minister, pitching a journalist, mapping your political allies, building the evidence for reform, or approaching a donor, there’s a tool here to get you started.
Who is the toolbox for?
This toolbox is designed primarily for suicide prevention and decriminalisation advocates, including civil society organisations, national coalitions, people with lived experience, mental health advocates and members of the Global Mental Health Action Network (GMHAN) Suicide Prevention Working Group.
Explore the toolbox
Ready to turn advocacy into action? There’s a tool to help you take the next step. Explore the resources below and choose what you need to move suicide decriminalisation from evidence to action.
Keep the momentum going
Suicide decriminalisation is possible. Countries around the world are demonstrating that laws can change when advocates, policymakers, people with lived experience, civil society and communities work together. In Ghana and Guyana, for example, sustained advocacy and collaboration helped pave the way for the decriminalisation of attempted suicide, demonstrating that reform is both possible and achievable.
These resources build on UnitedGMH’s Towards Care, Not Punishment advocacy guidance and our work with partners advocating for suicide decriminalisation around the world.
But this toolbox isn’t meant to sit on a website.
Use it. Adapt it. Share it. And help move your country from punishment towards care.
Join the GMHAN Suicide Prevention Working Group
If you’re interested in collaborating with us on this issue or would like to learn more, please contact our subject-matter expert, David Johnson, at david@unitedgmh.org.
This work is supported by Foundation d’Harcourt.