Towards Care, Not Punishment: A Practical Guide for Advocates

On World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) 2025, United for Global Mental Health (UnitedGMH) is proud to launch Towards Care, Not Punishment – a new guide for advocates working to decriminalise suicide worldwide.

This practical resource showcases lessons and strategies from countries that have already advanced reform, as well as those still working to achieve it. Featuring case studies from Ghana, Pakistan, and members of the Caribbean Suicide Decriminalisation Coalition, the guide highlights how multi-stakeholder advocacy can make change possible.

What’s inside the guide:

• Case studies from Pakistan, Ghana, and the Caribbean, showing how advocates successfully advanced decriminalisation.
• Practical tools for engaging the media, amplifying the voices of people with lived experience, and building parliamentary support.
• Guidance on pathways to change, including both legislative and judicial routes.
• Recommendations on language and framing to effectively communicate with policymakers, media, and communities.

Why decriminalisation matters

Every year, around 727,000 people die by suicide, with 73% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Suicide is among the leading causes of death for 15- to 29-year-olds, yet progress toward reducing suicide rates remains far too slow.

The World Health Organization’s Mental Health Atlas projects that, at the current pace, global suicide rates will decline by only 12% by 2030 – missing the target of a one-third reduction. Criminalising suicide only deepens the problem: it deters people in crisis from seeking help, fuels stigma, and blocks access to life-saving support.

The WHO identifies decriminalisation as a critical step governments can take to strengthen national suicide prevention efforts and move closer to global health goals.

Be part of the change

This guide is designed to inform, support, and inspire advocates and policymakers around the world to push for laws and policies that prioritise care over punishment.

📖 [Download the guide here] 

Together, we can replace punishment with compassion and save lives.