Youth Suicide Prevention Forum Calls for Collective Action “Making Suicide Prevention Everyone’s Business – Hope in Action”
Participants follow discussions during the Youth Suicide Prevention Forum at Aga Khan University, Nairobi, where experts and youth leaders called for open dialogue to break stigma and advance mental health solutions.
Mental health experts, policymakers and youth leaders have called for urgent action to make suicide prevention a collective responsibility, highlighting stigma, limited awareness and poor access to services as major barriers facing young people in Kenya and across Africa.
The call was made during the Youth Suicide Prevention Forum convened in Nairobi by the Aga Khan University’s Brain and Mind Institute (BMI) in partnership with the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA), under the theme “Making Suicide Prevention Everyone’s Business: Hope in Action.”
Speaking during the forum, BMI Founding Director Prof. Zul Merali warned that stigma-driven silence continues to cost lives and emphasized the importance of safe, inclusive spaces for young people.
“When young people are silenced by stigma or denied access to affordable care, we all fail. This forum is about creating safe spaces, amplifying youth voices, and building actionable pathways that save lives. Suicide prevention must become everyone’s business,” he said.
Prof. Merali further called on communities, families and institutions to move beyond policy declarations and invest in practical interventions that can reach young people where they are.
“We cannot afford to treat suicide as an invisible problem. Every school, workplace, and family must become part of the solution if we are to reverse the tide. Hope must translate into action,” he added.
Dr. Judy Omumbo, Head of Programmes at the Science for Africa Foundation, stressed that suicide is not only a health issue but a moral and social challenge that demands action from all sectors of society.
“Suicide prevention is a profound moral and social responsibility and not a marginal issue to be left to health systems alone. It touches every part of society: families, schools, workplaces, faith communities, governments, and local communities across Africa. Preventing suicide must therefore be everyone’s business,” she said.
She also emphasized the need for partnerships that bridge research, policy, and community action, arguing that only a united approach can deliver sustainable results.
“Collaboration is critical. We need to harness the expertise of researchers, the influence of faith leaders, the voice of youth, and the reach of governments to build a united response. No single institution can do this alone,” she added.
Dr. Catherine Wanjiku, a psychiatrist at the Ministry of Health’s Mental Health Division, highlighted Kenya’s reform efforts, pointing to the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2021–2026 as a blueprint for action. She noted that the decriminalization of suicide in 2023 was a turning point that paved the way for evidence-based interventions.
“The government has taken significant steps, including the decriminalization of suicide in Kenya, which marked a turning point in addressing this challenge. Through the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2021–2026, we are strengthening policies, expanding community-based services, and integrating suicide prevention into national health strategies to ensure timely support reaches every young person in need,” she explained.
She further stressed that effective prevention cannot be achieved from government alone but must be grounded in early intervention and community care.
“We must prioritize early intervention and community-based mental health care. Prevention starts at the household and community level, and the government is committed to ensuring that no young person faces these struggles in isolation,” she emphasized.
At the heart of the forum were personal testimonies from young people who have lived through suicidal crises. Their stories of resilience and recovery highlighted how stigma often silences those in distress, but also showed that healing and hope are possible when support systems, peer networks and safe spaces are accessible.
The forum concluded with a collective call for governments, institutions and communities across Africa to place youth at the centre of interventions, invest in affordable mental health services, and dismantle stigma. Participants agreed that suicide prevention must move from talk to action, becoming a shared responsibility that saves lives.
