In 2018 alone, 115 male suicide incidents were registered in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in addition to five more being killed by their wives or with the help of the spouse’s relatives, the Kurdistan Men’s Union said on Saturday.

In a press conference held in Sulaimani, the local organization released statistics about violence registered against men in 2018.

“In 2018, 115 cases of male suicide were registered in the Kurdistan Region,” Burhan Ali, the head of the Kurdistan Men’s Union, told reporters.

He mentioned that in addition to the suicide cases, five more men had been killed in 2018 either by their spouses alone or with the help of her relatives.

The number of suicide cases had considerably increased in 2018 compared to the previous years. Sulaimani province recorded the highest number with 45 suicides, followed by Erbil with 23, Kirkuk province with 18, Duhok with 16, and Halabja with 13.

According to the organization, 65 men committed suicide in 2014 with five others killed by their wives or their partner’s relatives.

In 2015, the male suicide rate increased to 69 while six other men were murdered by their wives or with the help of her relatives.

The number reached 70 and 74 suicide cases in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In 2016, eight men were killed by their wives or other family members, and in 2017 that number was five.

The organization noted that there are many unregistered cases and stressed that the statistics only represent the ones which have been documented. Furthermore, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has not verified the numbers.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany