White-collar Indian expats on suicide watch in UAE

White collar and mid-level employees make up most of the Indians who have committed suicide in the last 24 months.

However, the number of Indians committing suicides in Dubai and the Northern Emirates has dropped by almost 50 per cent compared to 2008, according to figures made available by the Indian consulate in Dubai.

Sanjay Varma, India’s Consul General in Dubai, said it is a mistaken concept that most of those who kill themselves are from the labour class.

“When we analysed our statistics for 2010, we found that majority of those who had committed suicide held white- collar jobs. However, we have seen a massive drop in the numbers from 147 in 2008 to just 53 until date in 2011,” he said.

The numbers have been gradually dropping to 113 in 2009 and 110 in 2010.

Region wise, too, it represents a fair mix of the population with people from the South Indian state of Kerala leading the list of those committing suicides in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, followed by those from two other Southern states - Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Varma also stressed the need for community-based initiatives to create awareness among Indian expatriates.

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