Marriage-related issues behind majority of 1.71 lakh suicides in 2023: IUML MP

IUML MP Harees Beeran told the Rajya Sabha that marriage-related issues account for a majority of India’s 1.71 lakh suicides in 2023, citing NCRB data and calling for urgent reforms, better enforcement of laws, and stronger social and healthcare support systems

New Delhi: IUML MP Harees Beeran on Tuesday raised concerns over the alarming number of suicides linked to marriage-related issues, citing NCRB data that recorded 1,71,418 suicidal deaths in 2023, with the majority attributed to marital problems.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the Kerala MP termed the crisis a “moral, legal, and institutional failure”, demanding urgent action beyond existing legislative frameworks.

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“While marriage is considered a sacred milestone in Indian tradition, for an alarming number of women, it has become a phase of silent suffering, isolation, and despair,” Beeran said, highlighting how support system failures, dowry demands, and emotional neglect create devastating consequences.

The MP acknowledged India’s robust legal provisions to protect married women but pointed to implementation failures and occasional misuse. “We are not lacking laws. We have some of the strongest legal provisions in the world. But the harsh truth is that we have failed in implementation,” he stated.

Dowry-related harassment remains the single-most common cause of unnatural deaths among newly married women despite decades of legislation, Beeran noted. He cited lower education levels of brides, economic stress, and maladjustment in new households as contributing factors, while highlighting that convictions remain low and investigations slow.

The MP emphasised the healthcare dimension, noting that hormonal changes during menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation significantly affect emotional well-being. “Lack of sensitivity, emotional neglect, or marital disharmony during these vulnerable periods often pushes women towards extreme steps,” he said, calling for family awareness, counselling, and community-based support systems.

Beeran stressed that each suicide represents not just the loss of one woman but the collapse of a family, trauma for parents, and lifelong scars on children. “Laws on paper alone will not save lives. What we need is empathetic enforcement, institutional accountability, and social reform backed by political will,” he said.

The MP concluded with a stark reminder: “Harassment is not just caused by beatings. Sometimes, even silence kills.”