A large number of Asian women in Britain are committing suicide by taking to railway tracks, a report has revealed. One third of the total suicides in Britain now happen on a particular stretch of track going through Southall, west London, which has a large Asian community, the Daily Mail reported here on Sunday, citing the report of First Great Western train company.
"Suicide on the railway is a national issue and is a terrible tragedy for all involved, including crews. First Great Western has seen a number of suicides on the main line in an area west of London. Victims may come from the communities where lines run through," a spokesperson for the train company was quoted as saying.
According to figures, 80 out of the 240 rail suicides last year were on the lines into Paddington, west London. These pass through Slough, Southall and other areas with large Asian communities and carry one tenth of the rail traffic.
Meanwhile, a women’s rights organisation, Southall Black Sisters, has claimed that domestic violence are forcing more and more Asian women in Britain to commit suicide on railway tracks.
"The high instance of Asian women suicides is linked to abusive practices within Asian families. There is a correlation between these suicides and violence in homes. Psychiatric research has shown there are rarely cases of mental disorders in these cases, suggesting they are the result of social circumstances. These women are often isolated and find it hard to escape," Hannana Siddiqui from Southall Black Sisters, was quoted as saying.
Even Muslim playwright Yasmin Whittaker Khan, who has written about the social problems affecting Asian communities, said: "They feel there’s no other way of escaping problems such as adultery, domestic violence and alcoholism."
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